Only Denmark and Greenland should decide on the future of the Arctic territory, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Monday as she announced the bloc was pledging 200 million euros ($232 million) for investments in the island.
Following a two-day visit to Nuuk, the capital of the Danish autonomous territory, von der Leyen stressed that “Greenland’s future is for the people of Greenland and Denmark to decide, no one else.”
US President Donald Trump insisted earlier this year that Washington needed to control Greenland for national security reasons, though he ultimately ruled out annexing it by force.
“Territorial integrity sovereignty, the inviolability of borders, these are fundamental principles of international law,” von der Leyen told a press conference alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic counterpart Jens-Frederik Nielsen
The EU chief also announced the “EU-Greenland Partnership Package,” focusing on three strategic priorities: connectivity, clean energy and critical raw materials.
“This is 200 million euros of new investments for Greenland for this year and the next,” the EU chief said.
The new package, which comes on top of the doubling of direct EU aid to Greenland, is intended to support the development of concrete projects.
These include improving the island’s satellite capabilities, which will allow better internet access in the northern and eastern parts.