Listen to this articleListen to this article | 5 minsinfoFrench President Emmanuel Macron warned “threats” and “intimidation” by the United States are not over despite an apparent lull in tensions, urging the EU to treat recent turbulence in the transatlantic relationship as a wake-up call to push through reforms.In an interview with several publications published on Tuesday, Macron said Europeans need to learn from what he called the “Greenland moment”, and called on European Union leaders to pursue changes that would strengthen its ability to stand up economically to Washington and Beijing.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listUS President Donald Trump has pledged to take control of Greenland saying the Danish autonomous territory is crucial for “national security”.Macron said the recent pause in Washington’s threats against its European allies should not be mistaken for a lasting shift in the US position, saying the Trump administration is being “openly anti-European” and seeking the EU’s “dismemberment”.“We are currently in a phase I would call a ‘Greenland moment’,” Macron said in the interview published in France’s Le Monde, English language publications The Economist and The Financial Times, and Germany’s Suddeutsche Zeitung.“There are threats and intimidation and then suddenly Washington backs down. And we think it’s over. But don’t believe it for a second.”He said when there is “blatant aggression … we must not bow down or try to reach a settlement”.“We tried this strategy for months and it’s not working. But above all, it strategically leads Europe to increase its dependence.” Advertisement Macron added “every day” there are US threats against Europe, and warned of further hostile moves against the EU to come in the form of American import tariffs if the EU uses its Digital Services Act to regulate US tech giants.“The US will in the coming months – that’s certain – attack us over digital regulation,” Macron said.‘A profound shock’In advance of an EU meeting on competitiveness this week, Macron advocated for “simplifying” and “deepening the EU’s single market”, and “diversifying” trade partnerships. He warned the bloc needed to be more resilient in the face of challenges from the US and China.“We have the Chinese tsunami on the trade front, and we have minute-by-minute instability on the American side,” he said. “These two crises amount to a profound shock – a rupture for Europeans.”Macron said he believed the economic strategy to secure European power “lies in what I call protection, which is not pr …
