4 ms·

I'm actually surprised Iceland isn't in the EU already, I had assumed it was. Is Greenland being a Danish protectorate also in the EU?

moffkalast 2y ago
Well yes but actually no: > As Greenland is one of the Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union, citizens of Greenland are European Union citizens. > In 1985, Greenland left the European Economic Community (EEC), unlike Denmark, which remains a member. The EEC later became the European Union (EU, renamed and expanded in scope in 1992). Greenland retains some ties through its associated relationship with the EU. However, EU law largely does not apply to Greenland except in the area of trade. Greenland is designated as a member of the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) and is thus officially not a part of the European Union, though Greenland can and does receive support from the European Development Fund, Multiannual Financial Framework, European Investment Bank and EU Programmes. Similar to French and other oversees territories, they can move to and work in the EU, but other EU citizens can't do the reverse. Don't have to follow the laws, yet get funding regardless. Pretty sweet deal.
- delfinom 2y ago
  To be fair, Greenland basically has its own version of Native Americans, complete with a history of Europeans trying to genocide them. There's historical context why EU citizens can't freely flood into Greenland lol One of the issues they had with the EEC was basically European fishing fleets coming over and decimating their fishing stocks and thus food supplies and jobs.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - infocleaner 2y ago
    An utterly strange comparison. The current Inuits are no more "native" than the Norse settlers, and in fact arrived later than the Scandinavians. Comparing the treatment of Greenlanders in any way to "genocide" is terrible. A "misguided" Western intervention, perhaps, but mostly at the wish of the Greenlandic heads.
    - inglor_cz 2y ago
      It is even possible, though far from certain, that the ancestors of current Inuit exterminated the Norse settlers in the 15th century. History rarely walks the paths prescribed by modern ideologues.
    - cess11 2y ago
      Some norse dropping by in the 10th century means Norway is right to give away an island with an inuit population to Denmark in 1814 or whatever? Forcing contraceptives and massacres are common methods of genocide, and while it's unlikely we'll find evidence of genocidal intent the danish has acted very much like a typical colonial power.
      - infocleaner 2y ago
        > Norway is right to give away an island with an inuit population to Denmark in 1814 or whatever? not only do you lack knowledge of North American history, you do not know the relationship between Norway and Denmark. Would you say the same thing about Iceland, because they are not Brown?
        cess11 2y ago
        Fill me in, little buddy. Teach me all about it.
        dang 2y ago
        Could you please stop posting unsubstantive comments and flamebait? You've unfortunately been doing it repeatedly. It's not what this site is for, and destroys what it is for. If you wouldn't mind reviewing https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and taking the intended spirit of the site more to heart, we'd be grateful.
        dang 2y ago
        Can you please not post in the flamewar style or cross into personal attack on Hacker News? We're trying to avoid those things. If you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules when posting here, we'd appreciate it.
RandomThoughts3 2y ago
Greenland isn’t a Danish protectorate. It’s an autonomous territory which is to say an autonomous administrative region of Danemark. Greenland very much is part of Danemark and its inhabitants are Danish citizen. Nothing to do with a protectorate.
- moomin 2y ago
  I mean, Greenland is always going to be a weird political exception. It has a population smaller than Vejle, which, unless you live in or near Denmark, you are highly unlikely to be able to point to on a map. Denmark itself has a population significantly smaller than London.
  - epolanski 2y ago
    None of what you said makes it an exception. It's a country inhabitated by Danish people, the fact that they are in the low thousands doesn't change the fact it's their land.
    - throw-the-towel 2y ago
      Fun fact: one of these Greenland Danes created PHP.
jbverschoor 2y ago
Just our savings on IceSave
thomasahle 2y ago
Shared fishing rights in the EU has traditionally been a deal breaker for both Iceland and Greenland to join.
- pornel 2y ago
  It's a touchy topic throughout the EU. "They're stealing our fish!" gets voters riled up, even in countries where the fishing industry is economically insignificant and/or unprofitable.
  - RandomThoughts3 2y ago
    Wasn’t that mostly a UK thing? I don’t think I have heard fishing rights mentioned since Brexit.
    - jorvi 2y ago
      NL fishing fleet has been modernized twice over. First cleaner engines, then electric pulse fishing (not nearly as bad as dragnet fishing). French fishers don’t want to make the investments into their fleet, so they harassed French politicians until those spiked the pulse fishing research permits. This had the by-effect of (nearly) bankrupting the Dutch fishing fleet. So no, fishing industry fights are not just an UK thing.
  - throwaway2037 2y ago
    Are there any countries where the fishing industry is unprofitable? I don't know any in Europe.
  - troad 2y ago
    Fisheries are a significant part of Iceland's economy, though. Well-off European states with lots of sea (Norway, Iceland, Greenland, the UK) are disproportionately likely to reject EU membership due to the Common Fisheries Policy. It's too bad that the EU failed to recognise, way back in the EEC days, that having all these countries in the EU was far more important than some fish. (And just wait to see what a huge problem the Common Agricultural Policy is going to be for Ukrainian membership.)

moffkalast 2y ago

Well yes but actually no: > As Greenland is one of the Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union, citizens of Greenland are European Union citizens. > In 1985, Greenland left the European Economic Community (EEC), unlike Denmark, which remains a member. The EEC later became the European Union (EU, renamed and expanded in scope in 1992). Greenland retains some ties through its associated relationship with the EU. However, EU law largely does not apply to Greenland except in the area of trade. Greenland is designated as a member of the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) and is thus officially not a part of the European Union, though Greenland can and does receive support from the European Development Fund, Multiannual Financial Framework, European Investment Bank and EU Programmes. Similar to French and other oversees territories, they can move to and work in the EU, but other EU citizens can't do the reverse. Don't have to follow the laws, yet get funding regardless. Pretty sweet deal.

delfinom 2y ago
To be fair, Greenland basically has its own version of Native Americans, complete with a history of Europeans trying to genocide them. There's historical context why EU citizens can't freely flood into Greenland lol One of the issues they had with the EEC was basically European fishing fleets coming over and decimating their fishing stocks and thus food supplies and jobs.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- infocleaner 2y ago
  An utterly strange comparison. The current Inuits are no more "native" than the Norse settlers, and in fact arrived later than the Scandinavians. Comparing the treatment of Greenlanders in any way to "genocide" is terrible. A "misguided" Western intervention, perhaps, but mostly at the wish of the Greenlandic heads.
  - inglor_cz 2y ago
    It is even possible, though far from certain, that the ancestors of current Inuit exterminated the Norse settlers in the 15th century. History rarely walks the paths prescribed by modern ideologues.
  - cess11 2y ago
    Some norse dropping by in the 10th century means Norway is right to give away an island with an inuit population to Denmark in 1814 or whatever? Forcing contraceptives and massacres are common methods of genocide, and while it's unlikely we'll find evidence of genocidal intent the danish has acted very much like a typical colonial power.
    - infocleaner 2y ago
      > Norway is right to give away an island with an inuit population to Denmark in 1814 or whatever? not only do you lack knowledge of North American history, you do not know the relationship between Norway and Denmark. Would you say the same thing about Iceland, because they are not Brown?
      - cess11 2y ago
        Fill me in, little buddy. Teach me all about it.
        dang 2y ago
        Could you please stop posting unsubstantive comments and flamebait? You've unfortunately been doing it repeatedly. It's not what this site is for, and destroys what it is for. If you wouldn't mind reviewing https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and taking the intended spirit of the site more to heart, we'd be grateful.
      - dang 2y ago
        Can you please not post in the flamewar style or cross into personal attack on Hacker News? We're trying to avoid those things. If you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules when posting here, we'd appreciate it.

RandomThoughts3 2y ago

Greenland isn’t a Danish protectorate. It’s an autonomous territory which is to say an autonomous administrative region of Danemark. Greenland very much is part of Danemark and its inhabitants are Danish citizen. Nothing to do with a protectorate.

moomin 2y ago
I mean, Greenland is always going to be a weird political exception. It has a population smaller than Vejle, which, unless you live in or near Denmark, you are highly unlikely to be able to point to on a map. Denmark itself has a population significantly smaller than London.
- epolanski 2y ago
  None of what you said makes it an exception. It's a country inhabitated by Danish people, the fact that they are in the low thousands doesn't change the fact it's their land.
  - throw-the-towel 2y ago
    Fun fact: one of these Greenland Danes created PHP.

jbverschoor 2y ago

Just our savings on IceSave

thomasahle 2y ago

Shared fishing rights in the EU has traditionally been a deal breaker for both Iceland and Greenland to join.

pornel 2y ago
It's a touchy topic throughout the EU. "They're stealing our fish!" gets voters riled up, even in countries where the fishing industry is economically insignificant and/or unprofitable.
- RandomThoughts3 2y ago
  Wasn’t that mostly a UK thing? I don’t think I have heard fishing rights mentioned since Brexit.
  - jorvi 2y ago
    NL fishing fleet has been modernized twice over. First cleaner engines, then electric pulse fishing (not nearly as bad as dragnet fishing). French fishers don’t want to make the investments into their fleet, so they harassed French politicians until those spiked the pulse fishing research permits. This had the by-effect of (nearly) bankrupting the Dutch fishing fleet. So no, fishing industry fights are not just an UK thing.
- throwaway2037 2y ago
  Are there any countries where the fishing industry is unprofitable? I don't know any in Europe.
- troad 2y ago
  Fisheries are a significant part of Iceland's economy, though. Well-off European states with lots of sea (Norway, Iceland, Greenland, the UK) are disproportionately likely to reject EU membership due to the Common Fisheries Policy. It's too bad that the EU failed to recognise, way back in the EEC days, that having all these countries in the EU was far more important than some fish. (And just wait to see what a huge problem the Common Agricultural Policy is going to be for Ukrainian membership.)