Who owns Greenlands mineral resources?
In 1975 Denmark and Greenland signed an agreement granting autonomy to the world’s largest island and providing for the division of income generated by any mineral resources found on the sea bed: Now, 500 million Danish crowns are to be divided equally between the two countries, and Greenland gets to keep the rest. The lead editorial calls this arrangement unfair: “If the Greenlanders are to be given exclusive rights to all additional income, they should leave the confederation and stop taking Danish subsidies. This doesn’t mean Greenland should renounce the bulk of potential income, but the 500 million crowns should be negotiable and offset against the 3 billion crowns that Greenland receives in subsidies from Denmark. Denmark is also financing extensive geologic exploration, so the potential winnings from mineral resources could soar.
