Terry Schultz

The president of the European Council decided the 27 national leaders need to meet in person to discuss President Trump's repeated threats to annex Greenland, which is a territory of EU member state Denmark.

and his intentions to levy tariffs against some countries.

An EU spokesperson says the meeting is likely to be Thursday or Friday.

Leaders will be debating whether to enact some 93 billion euros worth of counter tariffs against the US, which was drawn up last year but dropped after a deal was reached with Trump.

There are also calls led by French President Emmanuel Macron to trigger what's called the anti-coercion instrument, emergency powers to limit US companies' access to the EU market.

It's never been used before.

For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz in Brussels.

The chairman of the European Parliament's International Trade Committee, Bernd Lang, says President Trump has crossed a new line by threatening to impose tariffs on Denmark and the countries which have sent military officials to help assess the possibilities for beefing up Greenlandic security.

That trade agreement, in the process of being finalized by the EU Parliament, would set a 15% tariff on EU goods coming into the U.S.

and allow U.S.

products to enter the EU market with zero tariffs.

But Lange says the EU cannot simply move on to business as usual, while Trump, quote, is using trade as an instrument of political coercion.

For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz.

EU Council President Antonio Costa was asked to respond to Trump's attempt to impose tariffs on Denmark and those countries which have come to its aid.

Costa didn't mention Trump or the U.S., but said he wanted to send a very clear message to the whole world.

The European Union will always be very firm in defending international law wherever it may be, he said, and of course, starting within the territory of the EU member states.

He says he's coordinating a joint response.

The EU is responsible for the trade relationships of all its member states, and measures cannot be imposed on countries individually.

For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz.

EU Council President Antonio Costa was asked to respond to Trump's attempt to impose tariffs on Denmark and those countries which have come to its aid.