| Welcome to the weekend issue of Brussels Edition, Bloomberg’s daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union. Join us on Saturdays for deeper dives from our bureaus across Europe. NUUK — Greenlanders want independence. But more than anything else, they want to control their own future. That much became clear during election week on the snow-covered streets of Nuuk, the capital of the vast island territory that’s been thrust into the global security debate by President Donald Trump’s increasingly bellicose claims over it.  Voters outside a polling station in Nuuk, on March 11. Photographer: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP As voters were plied with music and cake by political parties in the Greenlandic capital, the latest all-caps-laced social-media overture by Trump – who reinforced his aim to make the Danish territory part of the US – likely helped boost turnout. But far from embracing Trump’s expansionism, Greenlanders overwhelmingly opted for stability. Three in four voters backed parties proposing a gradual pathway to sovereignty rather than a swift break from Denmark. “Many people are afraid of independence because of what the American president has said,” a 35-year-old Nuuk resident working in IT told us. “People want stability rather than rushing into independence,” he said, declining to give his name talking politics in the tight-knit community. The comments illustrate a mood of unease, even fear, in the territory of 57,000. That was belied this week in Nuuk, the capital city perched on the edge of a fjord, where political contenders handed out branded merchandise from stalls under the bright Arctic sun. Greenland’s unexpected election winner, Demokraatit, wants to focus on building a sustainable economy before pursuing full independence from Denmark. The self-ruling territory currently relies on fishing and limited mining — and with a new international airport having opened recently in Nuuk, seeks to boost income from tourism. Financial backing from Denmark pays about a third of the public budget – and Greenlanders are conscious that they need new sources of income before they can break free. Still, the question of independence remains divisive. Nearly a quarter of voters backed the party pushing for a hard break from Copenhagen, driven by historical grievances and ongoing tensions. Many Greenlanders still remember injustices of the past, including forced birth control on teenage girls in the 1960s and 1970s. Lingering racial discrimination has only deepened calls for sovereignty.  Voters queue to cast their ballots in Nuuk, Greenland, on March 11. Photographer: Odd Andersen/Getty Images So it’s ironic that Trump’s claims over the territory between the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans have effectively strengthened the island’s ties with Denmark. His remarks have forced Danish authorities to take its former colony seriously, opening the door for the incoming government in Nuuk to push for greater autonomy and influence within the kingdom. It almost certainly contributed to the much higher turnout compared with four years ago. “It should be a given to vote,” Niels Kronholm, a 48-year-old public sector worker from Nuuk, told us. “But Trump has actually gotten people off the couch this time.” — Sanne Wass, Denmark reporter | 
