Greenland remains on a slow path to eventual independence, but an offer of free association could change that.

Free Association as a Political Arrangement

So, what is “free association”? This is where a larger state carries out several traditional key state functions on behalf of a former colony (normally defence policy and monetary policy), and provides economic assistance, with the most important quid-pro-quo being the maintenance of military bases and denial of the territory to military third parties. It is “free” in the sense that both sides agree to it and either can end it as per the agreement. As this involves an association agreement, at some level it is a bespoke process in each case. Free association with an independent state was originally suggested by the United Nations (UN) in the 1950s, and specifically approved within United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 1541 in 1960, as a third way option for colonies between emergence as a fully independent state and integration with an independent state (into the main country). The United Nations seemed neutral amongst these options, and indeed it applauded Denmark for ending outright colonialism in Greenland via the third option of integration – even though Greenlanders were not asked for their approval nor given (the) other alternatives.

Comparative Experiences with Free Association

The key examples of free association today involving sovereign states are the three Pacific Island states of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau – collectively known as the Freely Associated States (FAS) – each of which signed a Compact of Free Association with the United States (COFA). These Compacts are amended, and funding renewed, every twenty years – most recently in 2024. The three FAS all use the United States dollar as their currency, and their citizens can freely enter the United States – and even serve in the U.S. military.  Some may consider this too much economic dependence (on the Marshall Islands, where such U.S. funds are the biggest source of government revenues, see this Danish analysis). And indeed, free association does not occur if the would-be independent entity wants full independence. For example, in 1959 Charles de Gaulle offered Algeria association with France as one of three options along the UNGA lines (and his preferred option), but the Algerians wanted full independence – which would come after the Algerian War.

Greenland: From Colony to Integration within Denmark

The status of Greenland is not a new issue. For over two centuries, starting in 1721, Greenland was a continuous Danish colony (earlier Norse colonization failed to be durable). In 1953, in the context of postwar decolonization, its status was changed not to independence, but to becoming an integral part of Denmark (as a county), including having two seats in the Danish parliament (Folketinget). Since then, the Kingdom of Denmark has consisted of three parts: metropolitan Denmark (or “Denmark proper”), the Faroe Islands, and Greenland. Within the North Atlantic Iceland had also belonged to Denmark, achieving Home Rule in 1904 and independence in 1918.

Home Rule and European Integration

Greenland has undergone two further constitutional changes. Home Rule was granted in 1979, after a referendum in Greenland in which 70 percent voted in favour. This gave Greenland its own elected parliament and government, with responsibility for various policy areas being........

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