The European Union and Greenland need even stronger cooperation with each other. Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Friedrich Nielsen emphasized this today in an address to MEPs in Strasbourg, BTA reports.
“Greenland needs the European Union and the European Union needs Greenland“, Nielsen emphasized and stressed the importance of this partnership.
He expressed his gratitude to the EU for the community's support for Greenland in the current “dramatic year for Greenland“.
Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump repeatedly expressed territorial claims to the semi-autonomous Danish island. The EU, represented by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaia Kallas, supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Greenland.
Nielsen also spoke about the potential for even closer cooperation with the EU in the field of mining, as Greenland possesses 24 of the 34 critical minerals included in the European list of strategic raw materials. He also noted the country's potential in renewable energy, especially in the field of hydroelectric power, as well as opportunities for the development of education and sustainable tourism.
He also stressed the importance of trade relations with the EU, in particular with regard to fisheries, and stressed the need for trade between Greenland and the community to continue to be mutually beneficial.
According to Prime Minister Nielsen, the Arctic is changing as a result of accelerating climate change, transboundary pollution and the loss of biodiversity.
The population of Greenland has always lived from the land and the ocean, without taking more than necessary. Explaining that seal hunting has always been an important part of the culture of the indigenous people of the world's largest island, the Inuit, Nielsen expressed hope that the EU would consider amending the general ban on seal meat products on the European market and pointed out the negative consequences for Greenland's economy of these measures.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen is the first Prime Minister of Greenland to speak in the European Parliament.