Details about the visit, including its date, are still being worked out and may change. The President of the European Commission said that the EU is working on a support package for Arctic security and a “huge increase in European investments” on the island.
When will Ursula von der Leyen go to Greenland?
What support has the European Union prepared for Greenland?
What investments is the EU planning in Greenland?
What forced Donald Trump to back down from his threats to take over Greenland?
Confusion around Greenland
“We will work with Greenland and Denmark to identify how we can further support the local economy and infrastructure,” von der Leyen said last month at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As Bloomberg noted, the EU is gradually increasing support for Greenland in areas such as energy and raw materials. Brussels plans to double its financial support for the island under the next long-term EU budget, starting in 2028, to around €530 million. In March 2024, the President of the European Commission opened an EU office in the capital of Greenland, Nuuk.
The visit of the head of the European Commission to the island will take place after US President Donald Trump threatened to take it over for security reasons, using economic coercion. Last month, however, Trump withdrew his threats to take over Greenland after agreeing in Davos with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on framework solutions aimed at increasing the US presence on the island. A working group of representatives from Greenland, Denmark and the United States was then established to work on American concerns regarding this autonomous Danish territory.
