The Committee on Development unanimously adopted the report by Ricardo CORTÉS LASTRA (S&D, ES), in the framework of a special legislative procedure (European Parliament consultation), approving subject to amendments, the draft Council decision on relations between the European Union on the one hand, and Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark on the other.
Programming Document: Greenland should prepare and submit a Programming Document for the Sustainable Development of Greenland (PDSD) on the basis of a transparent and participative approach.
Exploitation of natural resources: any cooperation in the area of exploration, extraction and exploitation of Greenland natural resources, in particular minerals, oil and gas, should observe the highest safety, social and environmental standards and strict environmental management criteria in order to guarantee a sustainable use of resources and preserve the valuable though fragile ecosystem of the Arctic.
Policy dialogue on the objectives and areas of cooperation: broad cooperation and dialogue should exist in the following areas added by Members: (i) biodiversity; (ii) the participation of the European Union as a permanent observer in the Arctic Council. Members also stated the need to increase the skills of its labour force, including in the area of mining and science.
Financial assistance in the area of education and training: should Greenland decide to include in the PDSD a request for the Union's financial assistance in the area of education and training, such assistance shall duly take into account the need to contribute to Greenland's efforts to strengthen capacity building in thatarea and to provide technical support.
Delegated acts: lastly, Members called for the Commission to be empowered to adopt delegated acts to approve the programming documents and financing measures necessary for the implementation of this Decision. Consequently, all the articles concerning the committee procedure have been deleted.