Greenland and the EU The Danish EU Presidency Should Take Northern EU Enlargement into Account
Copenhagen, September 12th, 2025
PRESS RELEASE
The Danish EU Presidency Should Take Northern EU Enlargement into Account
The protection of Greenland's physical environment, which covers an area half the size of the EU, could, in the event of an EU membership, become a lighthouse project for Greenland, the Danish Realm and the EU, putting environmental protection on the global agenda.
The Danish EU Presidency began on July 1st and continues throughout the year. It finds itself in a special situation when it comes to making conditions more stable not only in the EU, but also for other Nordic countries. Where Euroscepticism was previously the norm in countries such as Greenland, Iceland and Norway, membership of the EU is now a real option.
Iceland's new government has promised to hold a referendum on EU membership by 2027 at the latest, and the gap between the yes and no camps is narrowing in Norwegian opinion polls, with a recent poll showing 41 percent in favour and 48 against, while 68 percent are open to a referendum on EU membership. And for the Danish EU presidency, Greenland plays a special role. The discussion on these issues has begun outside the Danish borders and there are initiatives in Greenland to promote EU membership, but it is still not a theme for the Danish government.
“As early as next month, the Greenlandic Parliament, Inatsisartut, will discuss membership of the EU,” says Palle Bendsen from NOAH Friends of the Earth Denmark. “The country’s largest political party, the governing party Demokraatit, is proposing that a report be prepared on the advantages and disadvantages of rejoining the EU. However, such an assessment will be difficult because Greenlanders do not know what terms they will be offered. Since December last year, the Danish government has known that 60 percent of Greenlandic voters would vote for EU membership if a referendum were held, but has, as far as we know, done nothing to facilitate Greenland’s path into the EU or to provide the country with the best possible conditions for accession.”
For Greenland, the road to EU is not long: although Greenland is no longer an EU member state, Greenlanders are still EU citizens, because they are also Danish citizens, and Greenland already meets most of the criteria for membership. EU membership on conditions that respect Greenland's special situation – first and foremost control over fisheries – could bring the country closer to real independence, because Greenland would have a solid economic safety net and maintain its current status as a welfare state.
An offer of EU membership could be based on protection of Greenland’s fragile environment, as outlined in the EU's Arctic Environment and Sustainability Strategy, according to which oil, coal and gas should no longer be extracted in Arctic areas. Furthermore, the EU will promote inclusive and sustainable development for the benefit of current and future generations, taking into account the needs of indigenous peoples, women and young people.
“The EU’s Arctic environment and sustainability strategy is compatible with the Danish EU Presidency developing a policy for the Arctic in cooperation with Greenland and the EU, that aims to protect as many land and sea areas as possible,” says Niels Henrik Hooge from NOAH Friends of the Earth Denmark. “The EU Parliament has previously supported the idea of an Arctic nature conservation area using the Antarctic Treaty as a model. So have 141 environmental organizations, including the largest in Europe and the world. The Greenlandic authorities themselves have acknowledged that Greenland has no future as a mining nation and only a limited number of mining projects are desirable. In the event of a complete or partial opt-out of mineral extraction, the Greenlandic population would have to be compensated financially, but for the EU this amounts to a negligible amount.”
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More on EU enlargement to the north and an Arctic treaty on environmental protection: The Danish EU Presidency Should Take Northern EU Enlargement Into Account, English version of feature article in Altinget, August 22, 2025.
For further information, contact:
NOAH Friends of the Earth Denmark: Niels Henrik Hooge, Tel.: +45 21 83 79 94, E-mail: nielshenrik(at)noah.dk and Palle Bendsen, Tel.: +45 30 13 76 95, E-mail: pnb(at)ydun.net