The EU is strengthening its presence in Greenland
The EU is now opening a representative office in Nuuk in Greenland.
It is expected that three to four people will be employed at the office, who will support the ongoing cooperation and support new cooperation opportunities between Greenland and the EU, writes the Greenlandic newspaper AG.
The news that the EU will open an office on the island was announced in October 2021. So the EU Commission is implementing the decision, Per Haugaard, the EU Commission’s head of representation in Denmark, told AG.
– The time has not been decided yet, but I expect the office to be established at the beginning of next year at the latest, says Haugaard.
Establishes contact with local actors
From a geopolitical perspective, it makes sense for the EU to open an office in the Arctic, says senior researcher Andreas Raspotnik at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute to High North News. The EU has previously specified that it is a geopolitical necessity to be present in the Arctic, he says. Great powers such as the USA and China are also looking at the island with great interest.
Despite the fact that geopolitics plays a role, Raspotnik believes that the opening of the new office is largely about the EU wanting to form a better picture of what is happening on the island.
– The EU wants to gain a better understanding of Greenland, make contact with and learn from Greenlandic actors. The Union regional development through its many funding programs and it is time that they also show more supported room, he says.
Minerals and green energy
According to avisa AG, the EU’s interest in strengthening ties with Greenland concerns, among other things, the rich mineral deposits on the island and the country’s opportunities in the production and export of renewable, green energy. The EU has pointed to a number of minerals which have been obtained for the EU countries’ green transition, industry and competitiveness vis-à-vis the outside world.