Danish MEP Morten Lokkegaard has suggested that Greenland consider joining the European Union, which he sees as a protection against the US President Donald Trumpʼs plans to buy the island.
Politico writes about this.
Lokkegaard believes that Greenlandʼs future will ultimately be decided by Greenlanders themselves, but says itʼs time for "new thinking".
"We live in a world where no matter how independent you want to be, you have to be a member of alliances. And in my opinion, the EU is the best alliance you can join. This applies to both Denmark and Greenland. You [will be] protected economically and politically," the MEP believes.
Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, voted in a referendum to leave the European Communities in 1982 and officially left the bloc in 1985. Although most of its approximately 60 000 citizens are Danish, they remain EU citizens.
"Obviously, the situation has changed dramatically since 1985. We have a completely different geopolitical situation now," Lokkegaard added.
He argues that Greenland is “a natural candidate for EU membership, with a strong democracy and social security system”. So many of Brussels’ values, in his opinion, coincide with those of the island’s residents.
Thanks to Trumpʼs ambitions to buy the land, Greenland could reopen the debate about whether it is considering closer ties with Europe, says the MEP.
Purchase of Greenland by the United States
In December 2024, Donald Trump declared that "possession and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity" for the US national security. He had said he was interested in purchasing the island during his first term as president. Trump refused to rule out the possibility of military action to acquire the land.
Following Trumpʼs statement, Denmark decided to significantly increase defense spending on the island and also changed the royal coat of arms to make it more prominently represent Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen has dismissed the possibility of Greenland becoming a subject of the United States. Frederiksen said the region belongs to the Greenlanders and is not for sale.
Later, Greenlandʼs Prime Minister Mute Egede stated that the island does not want to be either American or Danish, but instead seeks independence.
In January 2025, Trump and Frederiksen had a phone conversation about the future of Greenland, which the American president wants to buy. It went extremely badly, the Financial Times reported.
According to a poll, almost 85% of Greenlanders are against its secession from the Kingdom of Denmark and joining the United States.
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