EU chief Ursula von der Leyen heads to Greenland for a two-day visit aimed at reaffirming the bloc’s support for the Danish autonomous territory coveted by US President Donald Trump.
Tomorrow, she is due to sign a joint declaration between the European Union and Greenland.
“Greenland is becoming increasingly important to the EU as a gateway to the Arctic and because of its geopolitical location, critical raw materials and role in Arctic security,” Marc Jacobsen, a researcher at the Royal Danish Defence College, told reporters.
Mr Trump was adamant earlier this year about the United States’ need to control the vast Arctic island for reasons of national security, though he ultimately ruled out annexing it by force.
A Danish-Greenlandic-US working group has since met regularly to find an agreement on cooperation going forward.
Following Mr Trump’s threats, European countries broadly backed Denmark and Greenland, and in January Ms von der Leyen vowed “massive” EU investment in Greenland to step up security in the Arctic.
Greenland is not a member of the bloc though Denmark is.
Brussels has also proposed doubling direct EU aid to Greenland to €530 million under the bloc’s next budget for the 2028-2034 period.
According to the Financial Times, Ms von der Leyen is expected to propose an additional €200 million in support during her visit today and tomorrow.
Her visit coincides with the start of NATO’s Arctic Shield military exercise, bringing together soldiers from ten countries.
Mikaa Blugeon-Mered, a geopolitics researcher at the University of Quebec, called the timing a “not insignificant coincidence”.
The Trump administration has repeatedly accused Denmark of neglecting Greenland and Arctic security.
Denmark has since reinvested in the region, as has NATO, which launched its Arctic Sentry mission at the start of the year.
“The EU cannot provide Greenland with a military security guarantee in the way NATO can, but it can provide something politically important: a clear signal that Greenland is not standing alone,” Mr Jacobsen said.
Pressure
The message is all the more important as the US has kept up pressure on Greenland – though Mr Trump has been less vocal since a May visit by his special envoy Jeff Landry.
“We’ve been getting ‘postcards’ from Trump or those close to him about Greenland every month, showing that they haven’t forgotten,” noted Mr Blugeon-Mered.
One such image Mr Trump posted on Truth Social in May showed him peering over the island, with the headline ‘Hello, Greenland!’.
In August, media reports of an American oil company’s preparatory operations in a remote region of eastern Greenland rekindled concerns on the island.
The project, run by a Texas-based company with licenses granted before a 2021 moratorium on oil and gas exploration and extraction, has left locals and authorities uneasy.
Authorities have yet to grant the company approval for exploratory drilling, citing procedural reasons.
Greenland is also struggling to develop its mining industry, which could help it fund its independence from Denmark.
In this area, Greenlandic and European interests are “highly complementary”, Mr Jacobsen said.
“Greenland needs investment, infrastructure and markets if it is to realise its mining ambitions, while the EU is looking for more secure and diversified access to critical raw materials,” he said.
But turning Greenland’s geological potential into reality is proving more difficult than expected.
Some 135 mining permits are held by more than 60 companies, but only two mines are currently in operation.
“The question is whether the current geopolitical momentum will ultimately be a game-changer,” Mr Jacobsen said.
Mr Blugeon-Mered said Ms von der Leyen’s visit to Greenland – her second in two years – was a strong signal that European investment is long-term.
The EU chief is scheduled to hold talks during her visit with Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and the head of government of Denmark’s other self-governing territory, the Faroe Islands.