Greenland could hold referendum on independence from Denmark – Europe live | Greenland

No Swedish police press conference currently planned

Miranda Bryant

Nordic correspondent

Yesterday there were suggestions that perhaps police would soon name the victims of Tuesday’s mass shooting in Örebro, but Bergslagen police say they currently have no press conferences planned for today.

Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson is in Latvia this morning, taking part in a ceremony marking Swedish troops officially joining Nato’s multinational battlegroup in the country.

The threat from Russia is long term, and our response needs to be as well. We can afford to defend our freedom, we cannot afford to lose our freedom. …

We will ensure [Nato’s] continued success by safeguarding that every adversary knows that an attack on one ally will trigger the response of all. Not to start a war, but to prevent a war.

He marked it a “historic day” with “Sweden’s first substantial contribution to Nato” as a member since it joined the alliance a year ago.

But, understandably, Kristersson was also asked about proposals to tighten up the gun laws (10:47). He said they had been under development for some time, and it “felt particularly appropriate in these terrible circumstances” to pursue them further.

He said changes were required to make sure that it is “the right people who have guns,” and this access is appropriately controlled.

Asked about the progress of the investigation into the Örebro shooting, he declined to offer any new information, saying that he had been careful not to draw any conclusions before the formal police process was completed.

Five people, three women and two men, remain in hospital after the mass shooting in Örebro earlier this week, local authorities just said in an update.

Two of them remain in the Intensive Care Unit, it said.

The sixth person injured in the attack has now been discharged after being treated for minor injuries.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has just tweeted her reaction to Trump’s decision to impose sanctions against the International Criminal Court.

Here is what she said:

The ICC guarantees accountability for international crimes and gives a voice to victims worldwide. It must be able to freely pursue the fight against global impunity. Europe will always stand for justice and the respect of international law.

The Swedish government has just announced its intention to pursue a gun control law reform in the aftermath of the Örebro attack, in which 11 people died, including the attacker.

Under plans, the laws on suitability testing will be clarified and tightened, and further restrictions will be introduced to limit access to certain semi-automatic weapons.

A new framework will also be developed to report and monitor people who may be unfit to possess firearms.

The proposals will take forward a number of suggestions made in the “Effective Weapon Legislation” report developed by a special inquiry and published last year.

Greek prime minister visits Santorini

Helena Smith

in Athens

The Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has arrived in Santorini, accompanied by the country’s civil protection minister in what officials are calling “a show of solidarity” for the earthquake-stricken isle.

The centre right leader began the visit – the first since seismologists expressed concern over the increase in intense seismic activity – inspecting the mobile operations unit dispatched to Santorini by the fire brigade, before stopping at the island’s hospital and visiting special forces.

“I am in Santorini to supervise the preparedness of the state machinery [set up to deal] with the active geological phenomenon that is underway … I want to assure the residents of Santorini and other islands that the state machinery is by their side. It is better to be prepared,” Mitsotakis said.

Thousands of undersea tremors have rattled the island since the weekend with two – measuring 3.8 and 3.9 on the Richter scale – striking within ten minutes of each other shortly before Mitsotakis and his entourage landed.

A much bigger tremor with a magnitude of 4.8 shook the island earlier in the morning prompting further rockslides.

An estimated 12,000 people – locals, tourists and workers – have left using any means possible to flee.

Greek authorities declared a state of emergency on Santorini late Thursday at the request of the island’s mayor.

“The fire departments, police, coast guard, armed forces, and emergency medical services have immediately reinforced Santorini and surrounding islands with additional personnel and specialized equipment,” the government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis told reporters.

EU ‘regrets’ Trump’s decision to sanction the International Criminal Court

Jennifer Rankin

Here is the EU’s reaction, via our Brussels correspondent Jennifer Rankin:

A commission spokesperson said:

The EU expresses its regret regarding the US decision to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court.

The International Criminal Court is of key importance in upholding international criminal justice and the fight against impunity. The EU is supporting the International Criminal Court and the principles set out in the Rome Statute.

The executive order represents a serious challenge to the work of the ICC with the risks of affecting ongoing investigations and proceedings, including as regards Ukraine, impacting years of efforts to ensure accountability around the world.

The EU will be monitoring the implications of the executive order and will assess possible further steps.

And the International Criminal Court itself said this in a separate statement:

The ICC condemns the issuance by the US of an Executive Order seeking to impose sanctions on its officials and harm its independent and impartial judicial work.

The Court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world, in all Situations before it.

We call on our 125 States Parties, civil society and all nations of the world to stand united for justice and fundamental human rights.

Speaking of Donald Trump, he has signed an executive order overnight that authorises aggressive economic sanctions against the international criminal court (ICC), accusing the body of “illegitimate and baseless actions” targeting the US and Israel.

The order grants the US president broad powers to impose asset freezes and travel bans against ICC staff and their family members if the US determines that they are involved in efforts to investigate or prosecute citizens of the US and certain allies.

You can follow live reactions on our US blog here:

Morning opening: The Trump effect

Jakub Krupa

Greenlanders could soon vote in a referendum on independence from Denmark under plans proposed by the ruling party, Siumut.

You never expected to be this invested in the domestic politics of Greenland, right? Me neither. But that’s the Trump effect. We better get used to it.

Earlier this week, the Greenlandic parliament called a snap election for 11 March, partially in response to growing rhetoric about US aspirations to control the area by US president Donald Trump (very much against their will).

Last night, the leader of the ruling party there said that if they get re-elected, they will accelerate the independence process by triggering Section 21 of the Greenland Self-Government Act to negotiate the terms of a future relationship and, crucially, hold an independence referendum within the next parliament.

Party leader Erik Jensen admitted in media interviews that Trump’s intervention indirectly contributed to this decision, and Siumut’s political spokesperson Doris Jakobsen Jensen went further and criticised the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen for her “solo run” in Europe in response to Trump’s words, allegedly ignoring Greenland’s will.

However, there will be plenty of practical questions about how any future arrangement would look, which will probably complicate the process. For example, under the current arrangement, Denmark pays the territory a 4.3 billion kroner (£484m or €580m) grant.

A recent poll for Berlingske and Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq showed that most Greenlanders expect this to continue even after independence. But would Denmark agree? Her office declined to comment “out of respect for the electoral process.” If that money is not there, will Greenlanders still want independence now? Are they ready, or need more time?

(If you are getting Brexit flashbacks reading this introduction, I can’t even blame you. At least they don’t put it on the side of a bus, yet.)

However, the Trump effect also exists in Denmark.

Danish daily Berlingske is reporting this morning about speculations that Frederiksen – whose Social Democrats gained over 3 points in polls since Trump came into office on the back of her diplomatic offensive – could also be tempted to call a snap election, bringing them forward from late 2026 to bank another term amid the swirling uncertainty about life under Trump.

I think we can confidently say that this theme of how Trump’s politics influences – or, depending on your politics, interferes with – domestic decisions will continue throughout 2025: from elections in Germany, where his close aide Elon Musk directly supports the far-right Alternative für Deutschland, through presidential elections in the likes of Romania and Poland, and beyond.

“May you live in interesting times,” eh?

It’s Friday, 7 February 2025, and this is Europe live. It’s Jakub Krupa here.

Good morning.