Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 20, 2026
2 min readLast updated: January 20, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleThe EU is working on an Arctic security package, with von der Leyen criticizing US tariffs on Greenland and highlighting EU investment plans.
DAVOS, Jan 20 (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that the bloc's executive arm is working on a package to support Arctic security and warned that tariffs proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump over Greenland are a mistake.
"Arctic security can only be achieved together, and this is why the proposed additional tariffs are a mistake, especially between long-standing allies," von der Leyen said in a speech at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos.
"The European Union and the United States have agreed to a trade deal last July, and in politics as in business – a deal is a deal," she said.
"Plunging us into a downward spiral would only aid the very adversaries we are both so committed to keeping out of the strategic landscape, so our response will be unflinching, united and proportional."
Trump has intensified his push to wrest sovereignty over Greenland from fellow NATO member Denmark, prompting the European Union to weigh hitting back with its own measures.
Von der Leyen said the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Denmark and Greenland is non-negotiable and that work is underway to boost security in the high north.
"We are working on a package to support Arctic security," she said.
The EU is also working on a "massive European investment surge in Greenland", she said, to support the local economy and infrastructure.
The Commission president also said the EU will work with the US and other partners on wider Arctic security, adding that the planned surge in defense spending could be used on a "European icebreaker capability and other equipment vital to the Arctic security."
(Reporting by Lili Bayer, editing by Inti Landauro)
The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, and managing the EU's day-to-day operations.
Investment refers to the allocation of resources, usually money, in order to generate income or profit over time, often through purchasing assets or funding projects.
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