Vice president of the EU, Diana Wallis has accused Greenland and other Arctic nations of failing to ensure the environment in the Arctic is properly protected Wallis said she could imagine "people on the streets" protesting if wider international stewardship is not guaranteed. These allegations go hand in hand with the E.U pushing for a ban on deep water drilling since the BP accident in the Gulf of Mexico.

Greenland's deputy foreign minister Inuuteq Holm Oslen, has as a response accused the EU of suffering "panic reactions" after the BP spill and said that though he welcomes focus and attention on environmental issues he was suspicous towards the motives behind the statement. Oslen was quoted saying " What we don’t welcome is the notion that there should not be any industrial development in the name of environmental protection. What the rest of you have been benefiting from should not be denied to us in the Arctic,” he said.

Source: Arctic Focus