Europe EU: Denmark could request assistance in Greenland emergency
In the event of a violent conflict over Greenland, Germany and the other EU states could have to provide assistance at Denmark's request.
16.01.2026, 02:05
SDA
This was made clear by a spokesperson for EU foreign affairs representative Kaja Kallas following the unsuccessful talks in Washington on what Europe sees as unjustified US claims to ownership of the Arctic island.
Greenland is part of the territory of the Kingdom of Denmark and therefore falls under the mutual solidarity clause in Article 42(7) of the EU Treaty, the spokesperson told the German Press Agency. At the same time, she emphasized that the question of an application does not currently arise. In principle, a military confrontation is considered very unlikely because no one would presumably want to mess with the most powerful military power in the world.
Clear announcement after a long silence
The public statement is nonetheless explosive. Previously, EU representatives had long avoided the question of whether Denmark could theoretically request the assistance of other member states in the event of a violent annexation of Greenland by the USA. One of the reasons for this is that the Greenlanders voted in a referendum in 1982 to leave the then European Community (EC). At the same time, Greenland is still part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Some legal experts are also of the opinion that the EU accession clause presumably does not apply to Greenland.
Specifically, it states: "In the event of an armed attack on the territory of a Member State, the other Member States shall afford it all the assistance and support in their power (...)."
Denmark cannot count on NATO in a dispute
Article 42(7) is thus even more sharply worded than Article 5 of NATO. According to the latter, it is at the discretion of the alliance states how they come to the aid of allies in the event of an attack. Moreover, Denmark would not be able to declare a NATO alliance case anyway, as the USA would also have to agree to this.
The EU standby clause has so far only been activated once following the terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015. Germany then became much more actively involved in the fight against the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria. Among other things, Tornado jets were provided for reconnaissance flights.
EU positions itself after meeting in Washington
The clarification on Article 42(7) came shortly after the unsuccessful conclusion of the Greenland talks in Washington on Wednesday. At these talks, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Motzfeldt tried to make it clear to the Americans that the USA has no claim to Greenland and that the world's largest island is not for sale.
Trump is not letting up
Just before the meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, US President Donald Trump had once again made it clear that he was not considering giving up his interest in resource-rich Greenland. He once again referred to the strategic security interests of the United States, which allegedly could not be protected by NATO.
Trump's comments have caused a stir and caused concern, particularly because he has not yet ruled out military force to gain control of Greenland. The island is four-fifths covered in ice and six times the size of Germany, but has a population of just under 57,000.
After the exchange with Rubio and Vance, Rasmussen noted "fundamental" differences of opinion. As a sign of solidarity with Denmark and Greenland, Germany and other EU states have announced a military mission for the country. The German Armed Forces are participating with 13 soldiers in the multi-day exploratory mission on the Arctic island.
