EU pledges 200 million to Greenland to counter US influence during von der Leyen visit

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EU pledges 200 million to Greenland to counter US influence during von der Leyen visit
EU's von der Leyen signs Greenland partnership deal and pledges 200 million investment
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged €200 million in EU support for Greenland during a two-day visit to Nuuk, the island’s capital, as part of a new partnership to counter U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to take control of the territory.
The funds, announced on Monday, will target climate change resilience, internet connectivity, hydropower, fisheries, education, housing, small businesses and sustainable tourism over the next two years. Von der Leyen also said the EU aims to double its budget support to Greenland to around €500 million from 2028. “Greenland’s future is for the people of Greenland and Denmark to decide. No one else,” she said, emphasizing territorial integrity and sovereignty as “fundamental principles of international law” .
The pledge follows Trump’s persistent claims that the U.S. should control Greenland for security reasons, which sparked pushback from Greenlandic and Danish leaders and strained NATO relations. Von der Leyen signed a joint EU-Greenland declaration with Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who called the EU “a loyal and trusted friend” amid “new challenges” .
Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory, plans to use the funds to improve satellite capacity for internet access in remote areas and develop infrastructure, including clean energy projects. Von der Leyen’s visit coincided with the start of NATO’s Arctic Shield exercise, involving 10 countries .
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