EU Commission chief Von der Leyen visits Greenland to sign new partnership deal

The EU plans to deepen its cooperation with Greenland despite US President Donald Trump’s claims of control over the Arctic island, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived on Sunday for a two-day visit.

Von der Leyen travelled to the resource-rich island, where a new EU-Greenland declaration is to be signed on Monday. Investment pledges running into the hundreds of millions are also expected.

On her arrival, von der Leyen said the visit was about further cementing a unique partnership. “We are family,” she wrote on social media.

Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark but is largely autonomous and not a member of the European Union.

Von der Leyen was received at Nuuk airport by Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

At a brief joint press appearance, Nielsen said von der Leyen’s visit represented a very close friendship, a good partnership and something they wanted to build on further.