European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has pledged €200 million ($232 million) investment package for Greenland as the EU seeks closer relations with the Arctic territory.
Von der Leyen has been visiting Nuuk, the capital of thje Danish autonomous island, for the past two days where she met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic counterpart Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
Von der Leyen’s visit comes after threats of US annexation earlier this year by President Donald Trump.
What von der Leyen said?
“Territorial integrity sovereignty, the inviolability of borders, these are fundamental principles of international law,” von der Leyen told a joint press conference.
The EU chief announced the “EU-Greenland Partnership Package,” focusing on three priorities: connectivity, clean energy and critical raw materials.
“This is 200 million euros of new investments for Greenland for this year and the next,” von der Leyen said.
She emphasized that “Greenland’s future is for the people of Greenland and Denmark to decide, no one else.”
The European Commission head arrived in Nuuk on Sunday in a show of support for Greenland and Denmark, and was received by Nielsen and Frederiksen.
“We’re deepening our cooperation across the board. Connectivity, clean energy, critical raw materials. And of course, more opportunities for the people of Greenland,” Von der Leyen said in a post on X.
What does the EU investment package include?
The EU package is expected to include hundreds of millions of euros in investment in:
- critical minerals
- satellite communications
- renewable energy
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen described the visit as an opportunity to deepen the territory’s “close friendship and good partnership” with the EU.
The largely autonomous Greenland left the EU in 1985, although its population of about 57,000 are EU citizens through Danish citizenship.
Why is Trump demanding ‘total access’ over Greenland?
Von der Leyen’s visit comes as the Arctic gains strategic importance for the US, Russia, China and Europe, with melting sea ice opening new shipping routes and increasing access to the region’s mineral resources.
Trump has repeatedly stated that the US “needs” Greenland for its “national security,” pointing to his claims — without providing evidence — that the island is “covered with Chinese and Russian ships all over the place.”
Trump has maintained that Denmark cannot adequately defend the island against China and Russia.
His campaign bid to gain “total access” to the Danish territory has strained US-European relations and raised tensions within NATO as both Greenland and the Danish government have rejected Trump’s demands.
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Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko and Wesley Dockery
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