Greenland urged to consider joining EU for protection against Trump's threats
The EU will provide protection to the island (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
Greenland should consider the possibility of reuniting with the European Union. Joining the bloc would be a protection against the threats made by US President Donald Trump to purchase the Arctic island, states Danish Member of the European Parliament Morten Løkkegaard.
Despite his statement that the future of Greenland should ultimately be decided by the Greenlanders themselves, he argued that the time has come for some 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 to my mind, the EU is the best alliance you can get into. That goes for Denmark, that goes for Greenland," said the European Parliament member.
He added that the EU would provide the island with protection.
"In a common society, you are secured economically and politically," Løkkegaard stated.
Politico noted that Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, voted in a 1982 referendum to leave the European Communities (the predecessor to the EU) and officially withdrew in 1985. However, the majority of the island's 60,000 residents are Danes and, therefore, remain EU citizens.
"Clearly the situation has changed dramatically since ’85. We have a completely different geopolitical situation right now," Løkkegaard stated.
He also argued that Greenland is a natural candidate for EU membership, with a strong democracy and social welfare system.
"Many of the values that the EU member states and the EU population stand for are totally in line with the values of Greenland," he said.
The Member of the European Parliament also emphasized that an unintended benefit of Trump's saber-rattling was that Greenland could renew the discussion about whether they are considering closer ties with Europe, including a new understanding of a shared future.
"If you want political change, this just might be the kick that is necessary for the Greenlanders to have a fresh look at what happens in Europe," he concluded.
