Written by Frederik Scholaert.
Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, has a significant fishing industry, with seafood exports accounting for over 90% of total exports. The EU and Greenland have established fisheries relations since Greenland left the European Economic Community in 1985. The relationship allows EU vessels to fish in Greenlandic waters in return for a financial contribution and allows duty-free access for Greenlandic fishery products to the EU market. In addition, Greenland is by far the largest recipient of EU funds for Overseas Countries and Territories.
The EU-Greenland fisheries agreement is implemented through a protocol. A new protocol for 2025-2030 has been negotiated and signed on 12 December 2024 (provisionally applicable from that date). The EU’s annual financial contribution is €17.30 million, of which €14.10 million is for access to Greenland’s fisheries resources and €3.20 million to support the Greenlandic fisheries sector. The EU exchanges a significant proportion of the quotas it receives from Greenland with Norway. The remaining quotas are currently allocated to three Member States: Germany (mainly for halibut, cod and redfish) and Denmark and France (mainly for prawn; subsequent intra-EU quota swaps usually mean that Denmark, Estonia and Lithuania take up these quotas).
Parliament is asked to give its consent to the conclusion of the new protocol. The rapporteur reiterates the importance of the EU-Greenland fisheries relations and recommends that Parliament gives its approval. The rapporteur also expresses concern about the sustainability aspect, as the catch limits for several of the targeted species exceed the scientific advice. On EU funding for Greenlandic fisheries, the rapporteur calls for more support for coastal fishing communities.
Read the complete briefing on ‘EU-Greenland relations in fisheries‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.
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