Analysis: Europe is now looking to the US Supreme Court to rule on the legality of Trump's tariff policies.

date
18/01/2026
On Saturday morning, local time, US President Trump posted on social media his latest strategy to obtain control of Greenland: imposing new tariffs on multiple European groups until these countries agree to sit down at the negotiating table to discuss the sale of Greenland. Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a senior researcher at the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel, said that these new tariff policies are likely to completely undermine the 15% tariff agreement reached last year between the European Commission President von der Leyen and the United States in Tantebourley, Scotland. "This means that the Tantebourley agreement will be completely terminated, and we will be plunged into a full-scale trade war," he said. "We are faced with only two options: either engage in a trade war or get involved in a real war." He pointed out that Europe is hoping for the Supreme Court to quickly rule on the legality of Trump's tariff policy. "Perhaps this issue will make the Supreme Court judges seriously consider the relevant issues," he said.