The Arctic has become a strategically important region for global powers.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to visit the Arctic region in March, including Greenland, highlighting the importance of the region for the EU.
Von der Leyen will also be underlining EU support for Greenland amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s designs on the Danish territory.
“President von der Leyen will be visiting the Arctic region, and that will also include Greenland,” Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho told journalists on Thursday. “The visit should take place in March, but we don’t have an exact date at the moment.”
The Arctic has become a strategically important region for global powers. Melting ice due to climate change is opening new shipping routes. The EU’s Arctic special envoy, Claude Véron-Réville, has said the region is undergoing “profound changes,” marked by “growing geo-political tensions and geo-economic competition driven by its strategic location.”
Von der Leyen’s visit comes just weeks after Trump renewed interest in acquiring Greenland, triggering heightened tensions between the EU and Washington.
In January, von der Leyen stressed: “Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law. … The EU stands in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland.”
NATO has recently started a mission in the region in an effort to keep Trump onside. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said: “Security in the Arctic and the Far North is essential for us as NATO, as Europeans, but also for North America.”
Greenland is the biggest financial benefiter under the EU’s Overseas Country and Territory scheme. The European Commission proposed to double financial support for the island starting in 2028.