> As an EU citizen I'm gladly giving Groenland up (even if it's not in the EU but belongs to Denmark which is, itself, in the EU)

Nitpicky, but I guess ultimately it kind of/might matter: Greenland belongs to the Kingdom of Denmark (Danish Realm), not Denmark. Denmark (often called Denmark Proper) is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, which also Faroe Islands belong to. Denmark is in Europe + EU, Kingdom of Denmark isn't in EU, but main part of it is indeed in Europe.

I think if Greenland was actually part of Denmark, it too would be part of EU, as I don't think you can selectively "unmark" specific territories in a country to not be in EU if the country itself is in EU. But since Greeland isn't actually a part of Denmark, it isn't part of the EU.

> I think if Greenland was actually part of Denmark, it too would be part of EU, as I don't think you can selectively "unmark" specific territories in a country to not be in EU if the country itself is in EU.

Yes, you can. Plenty of overseas territories span the complete gamut between autonomous regions outside the EU and overseas EU regions. Each one is a special case and has specific reasons why there are inside or outside the EU.

Maybe I worded it poorly, or someone of us must misunderstand something. Are you saying there are regions that are outside of Europe-the-continent, but that are a part of EU, as it belongs to a country that is within EU too? Which one(s) are those, if so?

Those are called Outermost Regions (OMRs), and there are 9 of them, for instance french guiana.

Due to their remoteness, they are exempt to some EU laws. But they are part of the European Union.

Then there are some regions which are part of the European Economic Area (EEA), but not the EU, like Norway or Switzerland.

And several further distinctions and special cases afaik.

EEA, countries in Europe but not in EU, Schengen and so on I'm familiar with, but it's the first time I heard about Outermost Regions. Thanks for explaining!

The French overseas départements are examples: Réunion and Mayotte (in the Indian Ocean), Guadeloupe and Martinique (in the Carribeans), and Guyane (in South America). There is also Saint Martin (French, but not a département), the Azores and Madeira (Portugal) and the Canaries (Spain). All these places are in the EU and use the Euro despite not being in Europe.

> Denmark is in Europe + EU, Kingdom of Denmark isn't in EU, but main part of it is indeed in Europe.

Main part by population. By area, not so.

Was thinking more by "rule" than anything, since it is a monarchy after all. Folketing is located in Copenhagen.

If Greenland is taken over by US, Windows will be your least of the problem. But tunnel vision is oh-so-common in Europe, both between politics and populace