00:00Good morning, it is Tuesday the 20th of January. I'm Maeve McMahan and this is Europe Today,
00:20your daily dose of European news and analysis live here on Euronews.
00:25Coming up today, all eyes on Davos, where EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be speaking on the main stage this morning.
00:34This as transatlantic tensions over a looming trade war boil over and European industry snarls back at the, quote, ludicrous demands to hand over Greenland.
00:44Meanwhile, President Trump, who was inaugurated this very day last year, has linked his threat to annex Greenland to his failure to win this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
00:54And to make sense of all this, I'm joined here in the studio by Stéphane Kröbe, Euronews' US politics expert.
01:00Good morning, Stéphane.
01:01Good morning, Maeve.
01:02So look, all eyes on Davos today, of course.
01:04We're going to see Ursula von der Leyen taking the stage today and President Donald Trump taking the stage tomorrow.
01:10So lots of opportunities there for the Europeans and the Americans to meet and smooth things over, over Greenland and, of course, trade tensions.
01:17Will they, do you think?
01:18Well, that's the million dollar question or five million dollar question or whatever.
01:24The transatlantic relations have never been so bad.
01:28They deteriorated under Trump because Trump doesn't care about Europe.
01:32He despises Europe.
01:34I don't know for what reason.
01:35Maybe it's family history or something.
01:38He hates Europe and he is ready to fight Europeans, his own or America's very own allies, fight the Europeans rather than America's adversaries around the world, like Russia, like China or some rogue regimes in North Korea, etc.
01:53And he's furious as well about the Nobel Peace Prize.
01:55We heard about these text messages between himself as well.
01:58Right, right.
01:58Now, that's a particular obsession that makes everybody wonder what's really going on in the White House.
02:05He sent a letter to the Norwegian prime minister saying that because I didn't get the Nobel Prize, I'm now not dealing in peace anymore.
02:13I'm now concentrating on what's good for America.
02:16Like this would not be peace.
02:19The Norwegians, of course, said, well, you're talking to the wrong person here.
02:24We have nothing to do with the Nobel Committee.
02:26That's a different organization, different institutions.
02:28The Norwegian government has nothing to do with it.
02:30And I wonder, and this is over Greenland, which belongs to Denmark and not Norway.
02:35And I wonder why is there nobody in the White House who would tell the president, look, you cannot go after the Norwegian government because, as I said, they have nothing to do with it.
02:43And meanwhile, what's keeping Europeans up at night this week, of course, Stefan, is the looming trade war.
02:48There's an emergency ambassadors meeting later in the week.
02:51We're having the EU leaders gathering here this Thursday.
02:54And we can actually head over now to Davos, to the World Economic Forum, where your EU's EU editor, Maria Tadeo, is standing by for us.
03:00Good morning, Maria.
03:01Lovely to see you with us now.
03:03As I'm saying here, the Europeans and the Americans will have the opportunity to meet in Davos.
03:08Will they be able to smooth over these tensions, in your opinion?
03:10Well, Maeve, at this point, it really...
03:17Well, we've got a beautiful shot there of our EU News EU editor there in the snowy, stunning Davos.
03:23But unfortunately, we're having some technical difficulties there with that connection.
03:27So in your humble opinion, Stefan Krobet, do the Europeans have a plan here if Donald Trump does indeed go ahead with these tariffs?
03:35I think they have a plan.
03:36And I think they're, unlike, you know, prior occasions, they are now determined to hit back.
03:44Europe is not, you know, some small entity.
03:48We have 400 million people.
03:50This is the biggest single market in the world.
03:52We're more important than the United States.
03:55And why should Europe not hit back the same way Donald Trump hits Europe?
04:00So this, the Europeans have always tried not to do, to bring out the big nuclear option or bazooka or something.
04:08And for now, that's on hold.
04:09I mean, that's on hold.
04:10But the Europeans are closer, getting closer to saying, OK, let's do it.
04:14And one lady who can actually speak to Donald Trump and perhaps have some leverage over him is the Georgia Olandi of Italy.
04:22And as you can imagine, EU-US relations could not be more strained.
04:26And she has proposed herself to be a mediator.
04:29Our correspondent in Rome, Georgia Olandi, has the view on that.
04:32Take a look.
04:33It's not the first time that Italy's Prime Minister, Georgia Meloni, has played a bridge-building role between the European Union and Washington, given her political affinity with Donald Trump.
04:42Last April, she flew to Washington and met with U.S. president to encourage dialogue between the two sides over tariffs.
04:50But this time around is different.
04:51She confirmed, she directly told Trump that imposing tariffs over Greenland was, quote, a mistake.
04:57And it's the first and strongest criticism she has voiced so far.
05:02And I could also suggest, according to reports in the Italian media, that for the first time, she fears the situation may take a dangerous turn.
05:10George Olandi reporting for us there.
05:12And, of course, European industry is also worried about the dangerous turn these tariffs could have on people, companies, and also the global economy.
05:20Our Jakob Janis takes a look at what exactly is at stake for us.
05:26From February, eight European nations might face a 10% U.S. tariff on all goods and services.
05:33The reason?
05:34They openly oppose Trump's annexation attempt of Greenland.
05:37But tariffs means less trade.
05:40Less trade means fewer jobs.
05:43And yes, that includes yours.
05:45Will you be affected?
05:48The home of Lego, Denmark, exports pharmaceuticals and wind turbines to the U.S.
05:54Norway is a top supplier of industrial metals used in American cars and salmon in your sushi.
06:01Sweden is not just meatballs, but a hub for vehicles and telecoms.
06:06And remember Nokia?
06:07In Finland, they don't just make phones anymore, but build 5G networks for your iPhone and export the paper for your Amazon packages.
06:16France is the global capital of luxury fashion and the aerospace parts that keep Airbus factories in Alabama running.
06:24Tariffs for Germany means higher prices for your car and, in general, industrial manufacturing.
06:31The UK is a powerhouse in life sciences and Rolls-Royce jet engines on American planes.
06:38Finally, there is the Netherlands with their critical link in the global semiconductor supply chain.
06:44But you see, this isn't just their problem.
06:47Our European single market is a chain.
06:50A Polish factory supplies parts to German cars.
06:53A Spanish firm powers French tech.
06:56European diplomats are trying now to talk Trump down.
07:00But if that fails, Brussels has the anti-coercion instrument that can freeze vital parts of the EU-U.S. trade.
07:08It will hurt both sides.
07:12But as the Danish Prime Minister said, Europe will not be blackmailed.
07:17Finally, why not just sell the islands?
07:20Last year, over 80% of Greenlanders refused to be treated like real estate.
07:26And if we sell our sovereignty today, what comes next?
07:30And that is the very question that NATO allies are fearing what comes next.
07:38Last night, NATO members from the Nordic countries and Greenland held emergency talks with Secretary-General Marco Lutte.
07:44Our correspondent, Shona Murray, was there and joins us now from the NATO headquarters just outside Brussels.
07:49Shona, tell us, what is the feeling there after the latest Trump threats?
07:54Well, Maeve, as you can imagine, the gravity of the situation isn't lost on anyone.
08:00And the feeling amongst America's allies, and particularly the Nordic group,
08:04is they simply can't understand why the issue of Arctic security can't be undertaken within the existing framework of NATO.
08:11That's the whole point of NATO.
08:13So they really see this as sort of quite illogical.
08:15They can't understand it.
08:16The other thing is, if you look at the developments over the weekend in relation to tariffs,
08:20and also Trump tying the Nobel Peace Prize with his designs on Greenland,
08:25again, they say, well, this is a very difficult thing to engage with because it doesn't seem too logical.
08:31And what I did hear, Maeve, though, is that from a couple of sources,
08:34they're telling me that there may be a potential off-ramp at Davos for the United States,
08:39that they had heard that maybe Donald Trump misinterpreted the reconnaissance deployment of troops to Greenland
08:45from the likes of Germany and other countries as maybe a bit of sabre-rattling,
08:49and that perhaps Donald Trump could come down on the issue of tariffs.
08:53Now, that obviously doesn't mean that he's still not demanding that he take over Greenland.
08:58But what I would also say, Maeve, is emerging from that meeting between the Nordic countries,
09:02Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and so on,
09:04they really are defending, they are four square behind Denmark and Greenland.
09:10They're saying that no matter what, they will defend those allies,
09:13and they will also defend the issue of territorial integrity.
09:17Take a listen to the Swedish Defence Minister, Paul Johnson, yesterday.
09:21Well, two things. According to any disputes between allies,
09:24they should be resolved in peaceful matters,
09:26and I think that the Washington Treaty there is crystal clear on that one.
09:30If there will be some kind of sanctions or tariffs,
09:32the EU will, of course, have to respond as well in kind.
09:35Paul Johnson, they're Sweden's foreign minister,
09:38and before that, of course, our Shona Murray, live for us from NATO.
09:42And as you heard earlier, the World Economic Forum is getting underway in Davos.
09:47Global leaders from Canada's Mark Carney to Germany's Friedrich Merz are set to attend in person.
09:52The Danes, though, have cancelled as a snub to Donald Trump.
09:55The president of Azerbaijan is also on the guest list
09:58and actually sat down this morning with Euronews' Jane Witherspoon
10:01on the same week that Azerbaijan begins supplying natural gas
10:04to European countries from Germany to Austria.
10:06As you join world leaders here in Davos,
10:10we are at this moment witnessing a fundamental reassessment
10:14of the existing international system.
10:16Now, you've warned about this shift before.
10:19How does your country engage with this changing world order?
10:23And what is your message to world leaders?
10:26So today, as you mentioned, international relations are entering the new era,
10:31era where it is not the rule of law,
10:37but the rule of strength is ruling the situation.
10:41We can see it in different parts of the world.
10:45Therefore, it once again signals that every country should base their strategy and policy
10:51on their potential, establish good relations with as many countries as possible,
10:57first in your region and second on a global scale.
11:02And that's what Azerbaijan managed to achieve.
11:05With Iran as your neighbor, I want to also mention,
11:07how is Azerbaijan engaging with the evolving crisis that we are seeing there?
11:12And what is your assessment of its impact of stability across Eurasia,
11:19also including the energy markets?
11:22Every country, including Azerbaijan,
11:25should think about stability around its borders, beyond its borders.
11:31With respect to Azerbaijan,
11:33we do not have any potential risks inside the country.
11:38All the potential risks can come from outside.
11:42Therefore, for us, stability in our neighborhood is something which we always think about.
11:49And we've been concerned about some destabilization in Iran.
11:55And for us, stability, predictability and peace in the region is the biggest asset.
12:02We suffered from occupation, from war, from losing thousands of victims.
12:09And today, stability and security for every country is the only way to succeed.
12:16With respect to energy market, as you see, today, oil price is stable.
12:23It is at the appropriate level, at least for Azerbaijan.
12:27And it demonstrates that situation in Iran, situation in Venezuela and in other parts of the world
12:37do not seriously influence the price of oil.
12:42And this is a good sign because producers and consumers,
12:46they need to know the predictability of the situation in order to plan their future.
12:53So, I hope that situation in the Southern Caucasus and around it will not deteriorate.
13:00This is what we really wish to see.
13:04And I hope that every country will contribute to regional stability and security.
13:10Where do you feel that the South Caucasus sit in terms of being an emerging force
13:15in the energy sector and moving in towards the EU as well?
13:19And with respect to Europe and European Union, our energy cooperation is growing.
13:26We already supply natural gas to 16 countries, and 10 of them are members of European Union.
13:35So, by this coverage, by geographical coverage of supply of pipeline gas,
13:41Azerbaijan is number one in the world.
13:43And for them, it's a way to strengthen the energy security.
13:49For us, it's an opportunity to sell our resources on the premium market.
13:57And for more on the World Economic Forum in Davos, tune in tonight here on Euronews at 8 o'clock
14:03for a very special show on the World Economic Forum.
14:06We'll also be running a live blog all day, bringing you all the excerpts from the speeches
14:10taking place in the main stage at Davos, including that of the European Commission President,
14:14Ursula von der Leyen.
14:16But that brings this edition of Europe Today to an end.
14:19Keep an eye as well on our social media for more, and do download our app.
14:22And we'll be back tomorrow morning.
14:23We look forward to seeing you then.
14:25Thank you, and stay with us here on Euronews.
