A recent study by the Heinrich Böll Foundation suggests the upcoming round of EU enlargement will likely focus on Nordic nations, specifically highlighting Norway, Iceland and Greenland as potential candidates. The study, reported by Der Spiegel, indicates that support for EU membership in these countries has risen significantly, reaching up to 60 percent.
While these Nordic countries shifted their focus to NATO following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the impending presidency of US President Donald Trump is projected to re-ignite interest in EU membership, particularly for Norway and Greenland, from a security perspective.
According to the report, the primary hurdle remains reaching an agreement on fisheries policy, with the European Commission potentially offering a proposal to address this concern. The progress in this area could also stimulate stalled accession processes for other nations, including Moldova and Ukraine.
Roderick Kefferpütz, head of the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Brussels, proposes an informal meeting of foreign ministers in Greenland during the upcoming Danish Council Presidency, should the Greenlandic government be receptive. Furthermore, a visit from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to Iceland could serve as a signal of the EU’s interest in expanding northward.
