On Friday 15 March, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, inaugurated the EU office in Nuuk, a sign of Europe’s concrete presence in Greenland and the wider Arctic region.
The opening of an EU office in Nuuk is part of the EU’s Arctic strategy. This office will facilitate collaboration between the EU and the public authorities, the private sector and civil society, promote EU public and private investment in Greenland and deepen cooperation in various areas: education, renewable energies, critical raw materials and the protection of biodiversity.
In the presence of the Prime Ministers of Greenland, Múte Bourup Egede, and Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, Ms von der Leyen also signed two cooperation agreements totalling almost €94 million, as part of the ‘Global Gateway’ strategy, the EU’s investment strategy for the world. According to President von der Leyen, thanks to the two new agreements, “we will invest in clean energy, critical raw materials and skills in Greenland” (see EUROPE 13305/19).
The €71.25 million education programme will further improve the quality of the education sector in order to empower young people and equip the Greenlandic workforce with the skills needed in strategic economic sectors. The cooperation agreement focuses on vocational and technical education, innovative skills in primary education and support for young Greenlanders who are not in work, education or training.
A budget of €22.5 million will benefit the ‘Green Growth’ programme, with actions in favour of the energy and critical raw materials value chains, in order to contribute to the diversification of the Greenlandic economy and the development of strategic industries such as clean hydrogen. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)