Proposal for a Council Decision on relations between the European Union on the one hand, and Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark on the other

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 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 will conclude on 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.

EUR-Lex: COM(2011)846: Follow the progress of this document through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2011:846:FIN

European Commission: COM(2011)485: Summary of the impact assessment http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=SEC:2011:1485:FIN:EN:PDF

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