Greenland and the European Union
European Union |
Greenland |
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The associated relationship with the EU also means that all
Greenland joined the then
Trade
In 2010, Greenland's exports to the EU amounted to €331 million (a 92.7% share of Greenland's total exports) and Greenland's imports from the EU were valued at €614 million (68.9% of all Greenland's imports). Exports to the EU were mainly food and live animals (89%). Imports from the EU included mineral fuels, lubricants (and related goods), machinery and transport equipment (together 47%). The EU is Greenland's main trading partner. However, Greenland ranks as the EU's 103rd largest trading partner.[2]
In 2009 the
OCT status
Greenland is one of the
Up to 2006, all EU funds to Greenland (then €42.8 million per year) went via the EU–Greenland fishing agreement. Between 2007 and 2013, the EU provided €25 million per year outside of fishing.[7] It has been given aid since it pulled out of the EU (see below) in 1985 to roughly the same amount it was previously receiving in EU structural funds (which it lost the right to receive due to its secession). This amounted to about 7% of Greenland's budget. The amount paid via the fishing agreement was in return for EU vessels fishing in Greenland's waters and to help restructure Greenland's fishing fleet. However, this deal was struck down by the European Court of Auditors, who felt the amount the EU was paying was too high for the quantity of fish caught.[8]
OCTA
Greenland has joined the
In 2012, Greenland and Prime Minister of Greenland, Kuupik Kleist, held the chairmanship of the organisation.
EU–Greenland partnership
Greenland is eligible for EU funding. Between 2007 and 2013, the EU allocated approximately €190 million, and between 2014 and 2020, €217.8 million are planned for sustainable development, with focus on education.[12] In 2015, a joint declaration about closer relations between EU and Greenland was signed by Denmark, Greenland and the EU.[13]
In March 2015, the President of the EU Commission, the Prime Minister of Denmark and the Greenland Premier signed 'an umbrella' framework document outlining EU-Greenland relations, a "Joint Declaration on relations between the European Union, on the one hand, and the Government of Greenland and the Government of Denmark, on the other". By this document, the EU confirms its long lasting links with Greenland and reiterates the geostrategic importance of Greenland for the EU.[14]
The Brexit debate has reignited talk about the EU in Greenland, and there have been calls for the island to rejoin the Union.[15]
Outside the EU
Greenland originally joined the then-
Greenland left in 1985, following a
There has been some speculation as to whether Greenland might consider rejoining the European Union, although this seems highly unlikely to occur any time soon. On 4 January 2007, the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten quoted the former Danish minister for Greenland, Tom Høyem, as saying "I would not be surprised if Greenland again becomes a member of the EU ... The EU needs the Arctic window and Greenland cannot alone manage the gigantic Arctic possibilities".[18] The debate was reignited[19] during the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis. The EU Common Fisheries Policy is an important reason why Greenland, Norway and Iceland stay outside the EU. There was hope that the Icelandic negotiations on EU membership 2011–2013 could create an exception to the policy but the negotiations never got that far. "Gigantic Arctic possibilities" refers to natural resources such as mining. There is a very large iron deposit, Isua Iron Mine. Greenland can not finance the large cost of developing it and does not have such experience, so it has contracted a foreign company, which did not start to develop it because of low iron prices.
See also
- Denmark and the European Union
- Foreign relations of Greenland
- European Union
- Arctic policy of the European Union
- Special member state territories and the European Union(OCT)
- Enlargement of the European Union
- Greenland (European Parliament constituency)
- Withdrawal of Greenland from the European Communities
- 1982 Greenlandic European Economic Community membership referendum
- Accession of Iceland to the European Union
- Norway–European Union relations
Further reading
- Christian Rebhan. 2016. North Atlantic Euroscepticism: the rejection of EU membership in the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Faroe University Press.
- Ulrik Pram Gad. 2016. National Identity Politics and Postcolonial Sovereignty Games: Greenland, Denmark, and the European Union. Museum Tusculanum Press.
References
- ^ "OVERSEAS COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES (OCTS)" (Website). Eur-lex.europa.eu. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
- ^ EU BILATERAL TRADE AND TRADE WITH THE WORLD Archived 2017-04-05 at the Wayback Machine (PDF), European Commission
- ^ Arctic communities angered by EU seal product ban Archived 2011-01-19 at the Wayback Machine Copenhagen Post 2009
- ^ EU takes aim at Canada, bans seal products, Guardian 2009[dead link]
- ^ Article 17 of European Union Treaty as of 1999
- ^ Green paper on future relations between EU and overseas countries/territories, 3. 1. 1. http://ec.europa.eu/development/icenter/repository/1_EN_ACT_part1_v8.pdf
- ^ EU Relations with Greenland, EEAS
- ^ A new deal for Greenland and the EU?, EFC
- ^ "Association of the Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union (OCTA)". cooperation-regionale.gouv.nc. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
- ^ "OCTA Presentation". octassociation.org. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- ^ Future relations between the EU and the Overseas Countries and Territories (PDF). Brussels: Commission of the European Commities. 25 May 2008. p. 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
- ^ "European Commission - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - Further EU support for sustainable development of Greenland". europa.eu. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-04-19. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Greenland - European Commission". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ "Greenland's exit warning to Britain". politico.eu. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ Lov om Danmarks tiltrædelse af De europæiske Fællesskaber Bilag 1 til loven: Akt vedrørende tiltrædelsesvilkårene og tilpasningerne af traktaterne Protokoller til Tiltrædelsesakten Protokol nr. 4 om Grønland (Danish)
- ^ European Commission (2005-11-10). "1985". The History of the European Union. Archived from the original on 2006-06-14. Retrieved 2006-01-18.
- ^ "Greenland could re-join the EU". EUobserver Review. 2007-01-05. Archived from the original on January 20, 2008. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
- ^ "Sermitsiaq.AG". Sermitsiaq.AG. Archived from the original on 9 February 2009. Retrieved 10 April 2018.