The Prime Minister of Greenland, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said on Wednesday that he wishes to strengthen and speed up cooperation with the European Union.
In an historic address to the European Parliament, Nielsen emphasised the urgency of collaboration in the field of critical raw materials.
His visit comes after what he described as a “dramatic year” for Greenland, although he did not explicitly mention US President Donald Trump’s remarks, earlier this year, about annexing the island.
“The world is changing rapidly. Greenland needs the European Union, and the European Union needs Greenland,” Nielsen stated. He highlighted Greenland’s emerging mining sector as pivotal to securing supplies of strategic and critical raw materials for the EU and the global market.
Nielsen pointed out that Greenland holds 24 out of the 34 raw materials defined as critical by the EU. In 2023, Greenland and the EU signed a strategic partnership to ensure sustainable supply chains for these materials. Initiatives under this partnership need to be accelerated, he urged.
Nielsen also discussed Greenland’s untapped potential in hydropower to support the green transition. He welcomed the European Commission’s proposal to allocate over €500 million in aid to his country under the next multiannual budget. The proposed allocation is more than double the current level.
He expressed hope that the European Investment Bank would finance infrastructure and raw material projects in Greenland.
Speaking to the press after his address, Nielsen stated that Greenland, which left the EU 40 years ago, has no plans to rejoin the bloc. “We will not associate with another country,” he commented, as reported by Euronews.
During a press conference, he clarified that closer cooperation with the EU would not exclude Greenland from working with other nations and regions. He also suggested that a stronger relationship with the United States could be pursued, provided it is based on mutual respect and adherence to international law.
