The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, visited Greenland in 2024 together with the then prime minister of Greenland, Múte Bourup Egede, and the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen. | European Commission audiovisual service / Dati Bendo
"If Europe is not going to defend Denmark, then what exactly is the EU for?" asks Alberto Alemanno, Jean Monnet Professor of European Union Law at HEC Paris. As an expert in the Union's legal architecture, he considers Greenland to be "the most serious test of sovereignty for Europe since the Cold War." He proposes an EU that activates its strategic levers to defend its territory, but issues a final warning: deterrence "only works when the other party believes you will act."