Von der Leyen visits Greenland to reinforce EU Arctic ties

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is travelling to Greenland for a two-day visit focused on the European Union's support for the Danish autonomous territory. She is due to sign a joint declaration between the European Union and Greenland during the trip. The visit comes as Arctic security and access to critical raw materials remain central concerns for European policymakers.

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The timing is notable because it coincides with the start of NATO's Arctic Shield military exercise, which involves soldiers from ten countries. A researcher at the Royal Danish Defence College said Greenland is becoming increasingly important to the European Union because of its location, its role as a gateway to the Arctic and its critical raw materials. Another geopolitics researcher described the overlap between the visit and the exercise as a "not insignificant coincidence".

The trip follows months of heightened attention on Greenland after pressure from the United States earlier this year. US President Donald Trump had said the United States needed control of the island for national security reasons, although he later ruled out taking it by force. European countries broadly backed Denmark and Greenland after those remarks, and von der Leyen said in January that the bloc would make "massive" investment in Greenland to strengthen Arctic security.

Brussels has already proposed doubling direct EU aid to Greenland to €530 million under the bloc's next budget for 2028 to 2034. According to reports cited in the supporting material, von der Leyen is also expected to propose an additional €200 million in support during the visit. Greenland is not a member of the European Union, but Denmark is, which gives the territory a particular place in the bloc's wider Arctic policy.

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The visit also reflects a broader shift in how European institutions are approaching the Arctic. Denmark has increased its own investment in the region, and NATO launched its Arctic Sentry mission at the start of the year. The European Union cannot offer Greenland a military security guarantee in the way NATO can, but officials and researchers say it can still send a political signal that the territory is not isolated.

What remains unclear is how far the new commitments will go beyond the planned declaration and any additional funding proposal. It is also not yet clear how Greenland, Denmark and the European Union will balance economic cooperation, security concerns and the continuing strategic interest shown by Washington. The outcome of the visit, and any response from the United States, will be watched closely in the coming days.

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