Explanatory Memorandum to COM(2011)846 - Relations between the EU and Greenland and Denmark - Main contents
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This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2011)846 - Relations between the EU and Greenland and Denmark. |
|---|---|
| source | COM(2011)846  |
| date | 07-12-2011 |
Prior to 1982 Greenland was considered as a part of the European Union (EU) through Denmark, allowing for EU vessels to fish in Greenlandic waters. Following 1982, Greenland withdrew from the EU, and became associated as an Overseas Country and Territory (OCT) through the Greenland Treaty. The treaty emphasised the need to maintain the close relation between the EU and Greenland, notably the development needs of Greenland and fishing rights of the EU.
A fisheries agreement was signed on 13 March 1984. Following the Mid-Term Review of the Fourth Fisheries Protocol, the European Council (2003) concluded that an arrangement should take into account the importance of fisheries and the structural development problems in Greenland. The Joint Declaration between the EU, Greenland and Denmark, defined the common objectives of a new partnership and was the political basis for the Council Decision 2006/526/EC, which defined the framework for cooperation between the parties for the period 2007-2013. The partnership defined in Council Decision 2006/526/EC is concluding on the 31 December 2013.
Without prejudice to the existing EU/Greenland Fisheries Partnership Agreement, the increased geostrategic importance of Greenland, and the importance of the Arctic region for the EU and its climate induced increased accessibility, as well as the structural weaknesses of Greenland, justifies a new instrument in order to respond to these developments.
The partnership between the European Union, Greenland and Denmark shall facilitate consultations and policy dialogue on the objectives and areas of cooperation established through this Decision. Particularly the partnership shall define the framework for policy dialogue on issues of common interest for either partner, providing the basis for broad cooperation and dialogue in areas such as:
- Global issues such as energy, climate change and environment, natural resources, including raw materials and excluding fisheries products, maritime transport, research and innovation.
- Arctic issues, within areas of interest to the European Union.
- To assist Greenland in addressing its major challenges in particular the sustainable diversification of the economy, the need to increase the skills of its labour force, including scientists, and the need to improve the Greenlandic information systems in the field of Information and Communication Technologies.
- To reinforce the capacity of the Greenlandic administration to better formulate and implement national policies in particular in new areas of mutual interest as identified in the PDSD referred to in Article 4 i.
1. education and training, tourism and culture;
2. natural resources i, including raw materials;
4. international cooperation on Arctic issues, such as Arctic Council, maritime transport and exploitation of natural resources;
5. The social sector; mobility of workforce; social protection systems; food safety and food security issues;
6. Research and innovation in areas such as energy, climate change, disaster resilience, natural resources, including raw materials, and sustainable use of living resources.
The new partnership will also attempt to respond to the need of the EU and of Greenland to mutually address challenges emerging from global issues such as climate change and environment, maritime transport, research and development. Furthermore, the partnership will contribute to addressing the issue of structural weaknesses of the Greenlandic economy by providing the appropriate framework for the formulation and implementation of policies by the competent authorities that would lead to the diversification of the economy.
Contents
The Commission held a public consultation on future funding for EU external action between 26 November 2010 and 31 January 2011. A majority of the respondents confirms that EU financial intervention provides a substantial added value in the main policy areas supported through EU financial instruments for external action i.
Over two thirds of respondents believe that EU interests are sufficiently taken into account in its external action, and that the latter should be based to a larger extent on EU values and principles, and on development objectives of the partner countries. Increased flexibility of the geographic limits of EU instruments is supported by a significant majority of respondents as a way to respond to interregional challenges.
Several assessments and evaluations have been made about the EU's cooperation with OCTs, and stakeholders were furthermore consulted. In that context the European Commission organised a public consultation that ran from July to October 2008 i, which included a stakeholder conference in Brussels in October 2008.[4] A mid-term review of the EU/Greenland partnership 2007-2013 (under finalisation) was also undertaken with positive findings as to the results of the current instrument.
In the context of the Impact Assessment undertaken for the purpose of this new partnership, three options were considered.
7. The option of no partnership with Greenland;
8. The option of maintaining the status quo;
9. The option of a revised partnership that takes account of the geostrategic importance of Greenland in the context of global issues, such as global warming, natural resources, including raw materials, and the emerging international awareness towards Greenland, while allowing for the EU to fully project its interests and policies abroad.
The present proposal builds on the third option, described above.
Article 198-204 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) apply to Greenland, subject to the specific provisions set out in the Protocol on special arrangements for Greenland annexed to the TFEU (Protocol No 34).
In a globalised environment, different internal EU policies (climate change, environment, Arctic policy, energy, migration, raw materials, innovation etc.) are increasingly becoming part of the EU's external action and in line with the Communication from the Commission Europe 2020 - A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and the TFEU, a mutual reinforcement of internal and external actions is needed.
Global issues such as the increasing impact of climate change on human activity and the environment, maritime transport, natural resources, including raw materials, as well as research and innovation, has increased the geostrategic importance of Greenland. Moreover EU Arctic concerns, including the impact of climate change, would be better addressed through a new and enhanced partnership with one of the territories, nearly the size of Europe but sparsely populated, located in the Arctic Region.
This proposal meets the requirements of Article 5 of the TFEU to the extent that the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality are met and call for action at EU level.
In spite of the fact that there is a Danish annual support to Greenland which amounts to approximately EUR 450 million Denmark does not support any singular strategy, but the Greenlandic system in it's' entirety. The EU support will be given to national strategies, initiated, adopted and implemented by the Government of Greenland, and would permit broader dialogue of strategic interest to both parties.
Concerning the financing decision the aid modality would primarily be budget support, which will imply a regular dialogue about the focal sector(s) chosen in the context of the strategies agreed upon for the period.
Within the Commission Communication on the Future Financial framework for the European Union, under Heading 4 ('Global Europe') the line 'others' includes an amount of €217.8 million for the post 2013 partnership with Greenland.