The EU Summit on Thursday represents a pivotal gathering where leaders must prove Europe’s ‘superpower’ capacity to counter Donald Trump, stated EIB President Nadia Calviño to Euronews.

European leaders are urged to seize their historic summit this Thursday to formulate a fitting response to Trump’s threats, according to European Investment Bank President Nadia Calviño during Euronews’s flagship program Europe Today from Davos.

“I believe we can prepare for any scenario. Yet, the key lies in what actions Europeans take. Thus, I see [the European Council meeting on Thursday] as pivotal and historic because it must reveal the superpower we possess,» the EIB President emphasized.

Over the past weekend, US President Donald Trump issued threats against multiple European nations, warning of additional tariffs up to 10% should the EU refuse his bid to acquire Greenland. Reacting to this, European Council President António Costa called an extraordinary summit in Brussels for January 22.

«We need to be pragmatic where possible, but resolute when necessary,» Calviño highlighted.

Several EU leaders from influential member states such as France and Germany expressed that the bloc ought to be prepared to enforce retaliatory measures if Trump follows through with his tariff threats.

An instrument at the EU’s disposal is the Anti-Coercion Instrument, which allows the union to penalize unfriendly countries engaging in economic coercion by barring them from public procurement contracts, curtailing trade permits, and potentially restricting access to the single market.

Although adopted in 2023, this tool remains unused; however, the US president’s recent intensification of threats over the weekend has fueled demands for its activation.