Though Donald Trump eventually backed down from his threats to use military force to claim Greenland as US territory, Washington remains closely attentive to affairs in the semi-autonomous Danish territory, with the “special envoy to Greenland” attending a business conference in the island’s capital, Nuuk, despite not being invited.

Jeff Landry, who was appointed by Trump, will attend the business conference in late May. The organisers clarified that he was not invited, nor is he part of the official programme. He is instead attending as an ordinary participant.

Earlier this year, Landry was initially invited to attend a dog sled race in Greenland, before organisers withdrew the invitation after public pushback.

Roundup

€27 billion and counting, the cost of Iran to Europe – Europe is paying a high price for the latest Middle East war, with the consequences likely to last for months or years, Ursula von der Leyen warned in Strasbourg. “In just 60 days of conflict, our bill for fossil fuel imports has increased by over €27 billion,” the Commission President told MEPs on Wednesday.

The rise of electric trucks? – A growing share of European commercial vehicle purchasers turned to electric and plug-in hybrid powertrains in the first three months of this year, even as diesel engines’ dominance remained largely unchallenged. New market data shows that cleaner truck, bus, and van models are clearly advancing, but still capture only minority – if not marginal – shares of the EU market – 92.4% of the market remains diesel models.

Parliament rejects right-wing attack on CO2 fuel pricing – EU lawmakers have pushed back at a right-wing attempt to further delay or cancel the bloc’s new CO2 pricing system on heating and transport fuels, or ETS2, in plenary votes on Wednesday. MEPs want to halve the maximum time needed for the emergency reserve to kick in and cut prices, compared with the two months proposed by the Commission.

Across Europe

Parliament calls for Slovakia funding freeze – The European Parliament on Wednesday urged the European Commission to consider freezing EU funds for Slovakia, as concerns grow over rule-of-law backsliding under Prime Minister Robert Fico. “We must make sure Fico doesn’t become a new Orbán – because he himself says he wants to be one,” said German Greens MEP Daniel Freund.

Brussels takes aim at Hungary supermarket tax – The Commission on Wednesday announced it would refer Hungary to the EU’s top court over a retail tax it says discriminates against foreign supermarkets. The scheme, introduced in 2022, taxes retailers based on their net sales volume, which the EU executive said favours domestic brands, discriminating against larger foreign-owned companies and affecting the single market.

Spain’s right and far-right unite again – Spain’s main opposition conservative party united with the far right to secure its leader’s re-election in the region of Aragon on Wednesday, their latest alliance before next year’s general election. Regions wield significant powers in key areas such as health, education and housing in Spain’s decentralised political system, making the deal a potential bellwether for the national vote.