1.6 billion for Greenland, UID’s Apologises & Arctic Light 2025… September’s Wrap Up

Mid-September, Greenland and Denmark signed a framework agreement for infrastructure development in Greenland. Over the next four years, the Danish government will allocate DKK 1.6 billion to initiatives and investments in Greenland, including ports, airports, and healthcare. In particular, the agreement provides for Denmark to finance the construction of a new regional runway in Ittoqqortoormiit, the northernmost town on the east coast, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in early September (Sermitsiaq, September 21). The construction of a deep-water port in Qaqortoq, in the south of the country, is also planned (High North News, September 17). Also in mid-September, the Danish Social Appeals Commission overturned the decision of the Children and Youth Committee to forcibly remove Ivana Nikoline Brønlund’s daughter at birth (Sermitsiaq, September 22). While discrimination against Greenlanders has persisted in recent years (DR, September 25), the issue of historical reparations has also been in the news: on September 24, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued an official apology in Nuuk to Greenlandic women who were victims of forced contraception campaigns between 1966 and 1991 (Sermitsiaq, September 24). This long-awaited gesture is part of a process of recognition of colonial violence and reconciliation. On the security front, Denmark led the Arctic Light 2025 military exercise from September 9 to 19, bringing together more than 550 soldiers from five European countries for joint maneuvers on Greenlandic territory (DR, September 14). The exercise aimed to increase collective preparedness in the Arctic, against a backdrop of growing tensions with the United States and concerns about Russian activity. Finally, the Greenlandic parliament is considering further increasing the tax on cruise ships (currently 50 kroner per passenger, compared to 525 in 2008) in order to curb the growth of cruise tourism and derive greater benefit from it (Sermitsiaq, September 30).