During a two-day visit to Nuuk, European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen pledged a 200-million-euro investment package for Greenland while firmly asserting that the Arctic territory's future remains strictly in the hands of its own people and Denmark.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic counterpart Jens-Frederik Nielsen, von der Leyen emphasized the importance of self-determination. "Greenland's future is for the people of Greenland and Denmark to decide, no one else," she stated.
The diplomatic declaration follows remarks made earlier this year by US President Donald Trump, who insisted that Washington needed to control Greenland for national security reasons, though he ultimately ruled out annexing the territory by force.
"Territorial integrity sovereignty, the inviolability of borders, these are fundamental principles of international law," von der Leyen said during the joint press conference.
The newly announced funding, known as the "EU-Greenland Partnership Package," will allocate 200 million euros for investments over this year and next. "This is 200 million euros of new investments for Greenland for this year and the next," the EU chief noted. This funding comes on top of a previous doubling of direct EU aid to the autonomous Danish territory.
The package is structured around three strategic priorities: connectivity, clean energy, and critical raw materials. Among the concrete initiatives is a plan to upgrade Greenland's satellite capabilities, which aims to provide significantly improved internet access to residents in the northern and eastern regions of the island.
