As storm Trump approaches, EU tries to play it cool

by Olivier BAUBE / Max DELANY

Donald Trump hasn't even moved back into the White House yet -- but the volatile US president-elect has already succeeded in rattling his counterparts in the EU.

With under two weeks to go to his inauguration, Trump set alarm bells ringing with a string of provocative statements including refusing to rule out using military force to seize Denmark's autonomous territory Greenland.

The startling broadsides from the billionaire magnate were a wake up call of the tumult to come -- and a reminder of the roller coaster the world faced during Trump's first term.

Trump's Greenland comment drew some blowback -- with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz admitting "uneasiness" among EU leaders as he rejected any attempts to change borders by force.

But for now Europe largely appears to be seeking not to get itself too worked up by Trump.

The EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas took her lead from Denmark's low-key response when she insisted on Thursday only that "we have to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Greenland."

"One of the lessons of President Trump's first term in office is that you shouldn't react to everything," departing Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said.

"A lot of things are launched with the sole aim of starting a discussion that ultimately doesn't lead to much."

Diplomats said that cool heads were called for at a discussion among EU ambassadors in Brussels on Thursday about dealing with Trump and alleged interference in EU politics by his billionaire ally Elon Musk.

"This is taken very seriously, while at the same time there are good reasons not to add fuel to the fire at this stage," one diplomat said.

Analyst Vassilis Ntousas of the German Marshall Fund said that so far the EU's response to Trump has been purposefully "emollient".

"The EU's priority is clearly to craft a positive agenda of offers and requests to align with President-elect Trump's deeply transactional mindset," he said.

"Any sharper responses than those offered might have been seen as counterproductive.

- 'Doormat' -

Given the perilous moment facing Europe, there are plenty of reasons why the EU needs to keep Trump onside.

The incoming US leader has pledged to end Russia's war in Ukraine and European allies are desperate to convince him not to force a bad deal on the continent.

They are also scrambling to avoid getting hit by trade tariffs that Trump has suggested.

"Mr Trump's latest statements underline once again that the next four years will be a challenge for our transatlantic relations," said German MEP David McAllister, who chairs the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee.

"However, this must not deter us from trying to work constructively with the new US administration in the interests of our common security."

But others insist Europe needs to react more forcefully -- especially against X owner Musk's confrontational approach.

"Every day, Trump and Musk threaten the democracies allied with the United States," said centre-left French MEP Raphael Glucksmann on X.

"Europe must wake up. Or resign itself to the fate of a doormat."

Analyst Ntousas agreed that while it was still early days to take on Trump -- the "wait-and-see" approach from Brussels wasn't sustainable in the longer term.

"The EU will need to pick its battles," he said.

"But it will also need to draw much clearer lines about what it sees as unproductive or unacceptable behaviour, and be ready for what comes next."

© Agence France-Presse