The European Union, Greenland and Denmark have signed a new joint declaration setting out plans to expand cooperation across areas including education, infrastructure, fisheries, raw materials and Arctic policy.
The declaration was signed in Nuuk on 7 September 2026 by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, according to the text of the agreement released by the Commission.
It says Greenland is an Overseas Country and Territory (OCT) associated with the EU — a status covering certain territories linked to EU member states that sit outside the Union — and notes that Greenlanders, as Danish citizens, hold EU citizenship.
Fisheries remain a central pillar of Greenland’s economy and a key area of cooperation with the EU under an existing Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement, the declaration states.
The agreement also references a Memorandum of Understanding signed in November 2023 establishing a strategic partnership on sustainable raw material value chains, and says its implementation is a priority for both sides.
EU announces €200m partnership package and projects
A separate statement issued at the signing said the EU and Greenland had agreed an “EU-Greenland Partnership Package” worth €200 million for 2026 and 2027, the Commission said.
The package focuses on “connectivity, clean energy, [and] critical raw materials”, von der Leyen stated in her remarks.
A project to boost satellite capacity in Greenland was signed, and communities in northern Greenland are expected to have faster internet access “as of tomorrow”, with remote communities in east Greenland due to see improved connections by October.
The partnership package will also support new hydropower plants in Greenland, and the EU is financing preparations for GreenRoc’s Amitsoq graphite project, von der Leyen said.
Work is also under way on the Malmbjerg molybdenum mining project, which she said “could … generate up to €90 million a year for the country as added value”.
The declaration states it is not intended to create legal or financial obligations under domestic or international law.
