https://sputnikglobe.com/20260324/greenland-not-planning-to-return-to-eu-due-to-blocs-inflexibility--trade-minister-1123888818.html
Greenland Not Planning to Return to EU Due to Bloc's Inflexibility – Trade Minister
Greenland Not Planning to Return to EU Due to Bloc's Inflexibility – Trade Minister
Sputnik International
The Greenlandic government is not considering the island's return to the European Union due to the bloc's insufficient flexibility, Greenland's Minister for Business, Trade, Mineral Resources, Justice and Gender Equality Naaja Nathanielsen said on Tuesday.
2026-03-24T16:40+0000
2026-03-24T16:40+0000
2026-03-24T16:40+0000
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"No, we have not done that [discussed EU membership] ... We are a small country, and the EU is too regulated. It is not for us … We would have to follow European norms and laws, and there is insufficient flexibility inside the EU. It is a machine that moves slowly," Nathanielsen said in an interview with El Espanol newspaper. The national fisheries policy would particularly prevent many Greenlandians from voting in favor of joining the EU institutions, the minister also said. Nathanielsen assessed the relations with the EU as positive, but ruled out the country's ever returning to the bloc. In January, Deputy Speaker of Greenland's parliament Bentiaraq Ottosen told RIA Novosti that Greenland might consider returning to the EU for national security reasons amid threats from the US. He said the matter was discussed in the parliament last year and emphasized the autonomous status of the country since 2009The island withdrew from the European Communities, which is now known as the European Union, in 1985.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20260213/danish-prime-minister-says-she-plans-to-discuss-greenland-with-rubio-at-munich-conference-1123628889.html
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Greenland Not Planning to Return to EU Due to Bloc's Inflexibility – Trade Minister
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Greenlandic government is not considering the island's return to the European Union due to the bloc's insufficient flexibility, Greenland's Minister for Business, Trade, Mineral Resources, Justice and Gender Equality Naaja Nathanielsen said on Tuesday.
"No, we have not done that [discussed EU membership] ... We are a small country, and the EU is too regulated. It is not for us … We would have to follow European norms and laws, and there is insufficient flexibility inside the EU. It is a machine that moves slowly," Nathanielsen said in an interview with El Espanol newspaper.
The national fisheries policy would particularly prevent many Greenlandians from voting in favor of joining the EU institutions, the minister also said. Nathanielsen assessed the relations with the EU as positive, but ruled out the country's ever returning to the bloc.
In January, Deputy Speaker of Greenland's parliament Bentiaraq Ottosen told RIA Novosti that Greenland might consider returning to the EU for national security reasons amid threats from the US. He said the matter was discussed in the parliament last year and emphasized the autonomous status of the country since 2009
Greenland is part of the Danish Kingdom. However, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that it should join the US, arguing the islands' strategic importance for national security. Danish and Greenlandic authorities have warned Washington against seizing the island, noting that they expect their territorial integrity to be respected.
The island withdrew from the European Communities, which is now known as the European Union, in 1985.
