Europe warns of 'dangerous downward spiral' after Trump threatens tariffs over Greenland
Berlin (AP): The eight European countries targeted by US President Donald Trump for a 10 per cent tariff for opposing American control of Greenland blasted the move Sunday, warning that the American leader's threats “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”
In an unusual and very strong joint statement coming from major US allies, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland on Sunday said troops sent to Greenland for the Danish military training exercise “Arctic Endurance” pose “no threat to anyone.”
Trump's Saturday announcement sets up a potentially dangerous test of US partnerships in Europe. The Republican president appeared to indicate that he was using the tariffs as leverage to force talks over the status of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark that he regards as critical to US national security.
“We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland," the group said. “Building on the process begun last week, we stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind. Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”
There are immediate questions about how the White House could try to implement the tariffs because the EU is a single economic zone in terms of trading.
It was unclear, too, how Trump could act under US law, though he could cite emergency economic powers that are currently subject to a US Supreme Court challenge.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said China and Russia will benefit from the divisions between the US and Europe. She added in a post on social media: “If Greenland's security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO. Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity."
Trump's move was also panned domestically.
US Sen. Mark Kelly, a former US Navy pilot and Democrat who represents Arizona, posted that Trump's threatened tariffs on US allies would make Americans “pay more to try to get territory we don't need.”
“Troops from European countries are arriving in Greenland to defend the territory from us. Let that sink in,” he wrote on social media. “The damage this President is doing to our reputation and our relationships is growing, making us less safe. If something doesn't change we will be on our own with adversaries and enemies in every direction.”
'These tariffs will hurt us'
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Six of the countries targeted are part of the 27-member EU, which operates as a single economic zone in terms of trading. It was not immediately clear if Trump's tariffs would impact the entire bloc. EU envoys scheduled emergency talks for Sunday evening to determine a potential response.
The tariff announcement even drew blowback from Trump's populist allies in Europe.
Italy's right-wing premier, Giorgia Meloni, considered one of Trump's closest allies on the continent, said Sunday she had spoken to him about the tariffs, which she described as “a mistake.”
The deployment to Greenland of small numbers of troops by some European countries was misunderstood by Washington, Meloni told reporters. She said the deployment was not a move against the US but aimed to provide security against “other actors” that she didn't name.
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media that “no intimidation or threats will influence us, whether in Ukraine, Greenland or anywhere else in the world when we are faced with such situations." He added that "tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context.”
Jordan Bardella, president of Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party in France and also a European Parliament lawmaker, posted that the EU should suspend last year's tariff deal with the US, describing Trump's threats as “commercial blackmail.”
Trump also achieved the rare feat of uniting Britain's main political parties — including the hard-right Reform UK party — all of whom criticised the tariff threat.
“We don't always agree with the US government and in this case we certainly don't. These tariffs will hurt us,” Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, a longtime champion and ally of Trump, wrote on social media. He stopped short of criticising Trump's designs on Greenland.
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who leads the centre-left Labour Party, said the tariffs announcement was “completely wrong” and his government would “be pursuing this directly with the US administration.”
The foreign ministers of Denmark and Norway are also expected to address the crisis Sunday in Oslo during a news conference.
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EC can choose counting personnel, no further order needed: SC on TMC plea
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Saturday said no further order was necessary on the TMC's plea challenging the Calcutta High Court's dismissal of its petition against an Election Commission circular on the deployment of central government personnel for vote counting in West Bengal.
A special bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi said the Election Commission can choose the counting personnel, and its April 13 circular, which provides for deployment of state government employees as well, cannot be said to be incorrect.
The poll body said the apprehensions of Trinamool Congress (TMC) of any wrongdoing is misplaced, as the circular very clearly states that there will be a mix of central and state government employees.
The Election Commission assured the court that the circular would be implemented in letter and spirit, and there would be state government employees also during the counting of votes on May 4.
At the outset, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the TMC, said the circular was dated April 13, but they came to know about it on April 29.
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He said there are four issues: One, the circular appointing Central employees was issued to DEOs on April 13, but came to their knowledge only on April 29; Two, the Election Commission says it has apprehensions of irregularity, despite having a Central nominee in the counting process; Three, the poll body already has a Central government officer at each counting table in the form of a micro observer, and four, the commission has not appointed state nominees even though the circular provides so.
Sibal submitted that the Chief Electoral Officer's communication states that there are apprehensions expressed from various quarters regarding possible irregularities in counting.
"That is like pointing a finger at the state government..." Sibal said, adding, "There must be some data. Where is (the proof of) the apprehension (raised) from each booth? They have not disclosed this. And why not tell us that they are going to have a Central government nominee?"
The bench, which held a special sitting, told Sibal that even if the Election Commission's circular had provided for the appointment of Central employees as both the counting supervisor and the counting assistant, the court could not have faulted the decision.
"The option is open for the Election Commission: whether the counting supervisor and assistant may be of the Central or the state government. When that option is open, we cannot hold that the notification is contrary to regulations. Even if the EC says that both of them can be Central government employees, we could not have faulted them. Because regulations say that either the Central government or state government officers can be appointed," Justice Bagchi told Sibal.
Sibal then submitted that the court may ask the Election Commission to follow the impugned circular in its entirety, which provides for a state government nominee.
"All we want is, in terms of the circular, the state government nominee should be there," he said.
Justice Bagchi asked if he wants compliance with the circular, then why is the TMC before the court.
Senior advocate D S Naidu, appearing for the Election Commission, submitted that the returning officer is a state government employee with overarching power to deploy personnel from any pool of government employees.
"We are saying that there will be state government employees during the counting of votes," Naidu submitted, adding that each candidate will also have their own counting agent.
"The TMC's apprehension of any wrongdoing is completely misplaced," he reiterated.
The bench then disposed of the plea, saying that no further order is necessary and reiterated that the Election Commission will follow its circular in letter and spirit.
Polling for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly was held in two phases -- April 23 and April 29. The counting of votes will be taken up on May 4.
On April 30, the Calcutta High Court dismissed the TMC's petition against the Election Commission circular, saying there was no illegality in the poll panel's decision to appoint counting supervisors and assistants from Central government and Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) employees, instead of the state government staff.
In the high court, the TMC had challenged an April 13 communication issued by the additional chief electoral officer of West Bengal that stated that at least one of the counting supervisors or assistants at each table should be a Central government or PSU employee.
The TMC's counsel had argued before the high court that the communication was issued without jurisdiction and was based on mere apprehension.
The EC's counsel had contended before the high court that the Representation of the People Act, 1951, allows delegation of the commission's functions and that the directive was valid.
The poll panel's counsel had also submitted that the communication was issued on April 13, but the petition was filed only on April 30, close to the counting date, alleging that the move was intended to stall the process.
The high court had not agreed with the TMC's allegation that its main opponent, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), controls the employees of the Central government or PSUs, making them susceptible to suggestions and control by the Union government.
It had also noted that apart from the counting supervisors and assistants, micro-observers, counting agents of candidates, and other personnel would also be present in the counting hall.
