EU to open Greenland office in hunt for critical raw materials

The European Union will on Friday open an office in Greenland as the bloc seeks access to the country's reserves of critical raw materials needed for the transition to low carbon energy, an EU adviser said on Tuesday.

The European Union will on Friday open an office in Greenland as the bloc seeks access to the country's reserves of critical raw materials needed for the transition to low carbon energy, an EU adviser said on Tuesday. The office will be opened during an official visit by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is travelling with Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

"We certainly want to further increase our cooperation in the area of critical raw materials," Tomas Baert, trade adviser to von der Leyen, told journalists on Tuesday. The official visit on Thursday and Friday will include the Faroe Islands, as well as Greenland. Strategically positioned in the Atlantic, both are self-governing territories that are not part of the EU, but they are part of the Kingdom of Denmark, which is an EU member state.

Greenland has some of the world's largest reserves of rare earth minerals needed for mobile phones and the transition to a low carbon economy. The Faroe Islands has abundant fish stocks and is the site of a Danish radar project. "The visit of President von der Leyen to Greenland and to the Faroe Islands should really be seen almost as a geopolitical visit," Baert said, adding that the bloc is also seeking to strengthen its position in the Arctic in the context of environmental and security issues.

The EU, which lacks access to both mines and processing of raw materials, is seeking to reduce its reliance on China, which dominates production of rare earths and other critical minerals. The United States opened a consulate in Greenland's capital Nuuk in 2020, a year after former president Donald Trump offered to buy the island, as part of a move by Washington to expand its diplomatic and commercial presence in Greenland and the Arctic.

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