Remarks by Commissioner Síkela at the joint press conference with Greenlandic Prime Minister Nielsen in Nuuk

Prime Minister Nielsen, ladies and gentlemen,

It is a real pleasure to be in Nuuk.

I have never visited a place quite like Greenland - with its pure nature and raw beauty.

And before coming here, I did not fully know what to expect.

But from the first moments spent with you, it was clear that I am surrounded by members of the EU family.

I came here for two reasons.

The first is to listen. To members of the government at the EU-Greenland Policy Dialogue that I participated in as the first EU Commissioner ever.

To the Inuit Circumpolar Council, to entrepreneurs, to young people who will live with the consequences of the decisions that we make now.

The second is to make clear about what Europe brings to our partnership, and why we want to strengthen it even more.

Let me start with the why.

The Arctic is changing faster than any other region on Earth - warming four times more quickly than the global average. With the change comes a new strategic reality: new trade routes, new resources critical for modern industry, new security questions, and new pressures from outside the region.

Europe has fundamental interests in how the Arctic develops. Three of our member states are Arctic states. The climate dynamics here affect every European. And the resources, the routes, and the rules that emerge in this region will shape the European economy for decades.

That is why Europe is stepping up. Later this year, I will present an updated EU Arctic Strategy, which I have been tasked to prepare.

It is being built with our Arctic partners, not for them and not about them. It will not be written in Brussels and delivered here. Greenlandic input - at this formative stage - is one of the central reasons for my visit.

Our Partnership with Greenland sits at the centre of that strategy. Not because of what Europe wants from Greenland, but because of what Europe wants to build with Greenland.

Our approach is straightforward. We work with partners. We invest where investment is needed and where it serves Greenlandic priorities - energy, connectivity, education, responsible development of resources.

We bring the highest environmental standards, transparent rules, and a commitment that the value of Greenland's natural wealth is first used to improve the lives of Greenlanders.

We bring predictability - a forty-year track record, a permanent EU office in Nuuk since 2024, and a Commission proposal to nearly double our financial envelope for Greenland in the next budget cycle, from €225 million to €530 million.

This translates into concrete results on the ground.

It is the new undersea cable from Qaqortoq to Aasiaat - a thousand kilometres of digital connectivity that improves everyday life across the island.

It is the first commercial hydropower project at Tasersiaq, helping Greenland move further away from imported fossil fuels. It is concrete progress on critical raw materials projects.

It is €202 million for education between 2021 and 2027, because the skills to lead the clean and digital transitions are built in Greenlandic classrooms, not imported.

And alongside the existing programmes, we are preparing an investment package focused on the areas where public investment makes the difference. President von der Leyen will present it later this year.

Let me say one thing openly. This partnership matters to Europe. This is a strategic fact.

We need a stable, rules-based Arctic.

We need diversified, secure supply chains for the materials our industries depend on.

And we need partners who share our conviction that the future of this region is decided by the people who live in it.

But the foundation of our cooperation will be the following: The future of Greenland is for Greenlanders to decide.

Europe's role is to support that - with investment, with standards, with values, and with the kind of partnership that lasts because both sides genuinely benefit.

Prime Minister, thank you for the hospitality. It is not the first time we have met this year and I am quite sure not the last time either. Your citizens have the strong leader they need and the European Union a true friend.

Thank you.