EU plans to double Greenland funding from €225m to €530m in race with US
The European Commission says it plans to nearly double its funding for Greenland, as Brussels seeks to strengthen its presence in the Arctic amid growing competition with the United States.
Speaking alongside Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela said the EU proposed increasing funding from €225 million to €530 million.
“Europe has fundamental interests in how the Arctic develops,” Sikela said.
He said the EU’s updated Arctic strategy would focus on investment in energy, education, connectivity and the “responsible development of resources.”
“It will not be written in Brussels and delivered here,” Sikela said. “Greenlandic input at this formative stage is one of the central reasons for my visit.”
Sikela described Greenland as central to Europe’s Arctic strategy, saying the EU wanted to “build with Greenland” rather than simply benefit from its resources.
Prime Minister Nielsen said Greenland was interested in developing a “stronger and better” partnership with the European Union.
Responding to questions about tensions with Washington, Nielsen denied that the meeting was intended as a political message to U.S. President Donald Trump.
“In Greenland, in terms of the United States, we have a working group. We have a dialogue to try to sort things out,” he said.
He added that the strengthening of EU-Greenland ties had been under discussion long before the recent geopolitical tensions surrounding the Arctic island.
The commissioner’s visit coincided with the first official trip to Greenland by Jeff Landry, Trump’s special envoy to the territory.
Trump has repeatedly pushed for the United States to acquire Greenland, arguing that control of the island is important for countering growing Chinese and Russian influence in the Arctic.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
