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"The European Commission on Wednesday said it proposes to 'nearly double' its funding to Greenland from €225 million to €530 million, amid a race with the US for influence in the Arctic. “Europe has fundamental interests in how the Arctic develops,” said European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela, in a joint press conference in Nuuk with Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen. He said the 'updated' EU Arctic strategy would bring 'concrete results on the ground', prioritising investment in energy, education, connectivity, and the “responsible development of resources.” “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,” Sikela said. He added: “Our partnership with Greenland sits at the centre of that strategy, not because of what Europe wants from Greenland, but because Europe wants to build with Greenland.” Nielsen said that the Danish autonomous territory was interested in building a 'stronger and better' partnership with the EU. Responding to a reporter’s question, Nielsen denied that the meeting with the commissioner was 'a message to Donald Trump' hinting that Greenland is prioritising ties with the EU over the US. "In Greenland, in terms of the United States, we have a working group. We have a dialogue to try to sort things out. We have progress in that dialogue, but we don't see the finish line yet, so we have things to do," he explained. “It’s a sign of strengthening the partnership between the EU and Greenland, something we have worked on for a long time, even before the escalation of this Greenland crisis,” he clarified. The commissioner’s visit coincides with the first official trip of Jeff Landry, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Greenland, to the Arctic island. Trump has been pushing to acquire Greenland, which he says is aimed at countering Chinese and Russian influence. "
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