Trump’s threats to take Greenland, and Russia’s growing military, are pushing the EU to expand its Arctic presence
Source: Fortune ·
The EU wants more icebreakers, stronger surveillance and protected undersea cables as competition for Arctic resources intensifies.
From the source
The European Union laid out a plan on Tuesday to increase its footprint in the Arctic as global warming, conflict and competition for energy resources and critical minerals pose fresh challenges. The EU move comes after threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to take control of Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark, and after he left Iceland uneasy by posting a map with the colors of the American flag over both islands. Other pressures are mounting as the Arctic warms about four times faster than the global average. New shipping routes are opening, China is doing more trade through the Arctic region, and a Russian military buildup is also heightening security concerns. “When we see that sovereignty, territorial integrity and the rules that have underpinned stability in the region can no longer be taken for granted, we have to act and change our strategic posture,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. The EU wants to help set up a cable center to…