ABSTRACT

Greenland is not an independent state. It is part of a so-called realm (i.e. a commonwealth usually referred to as either the Realm or the Kingdom of Denmark),1 together with Denmark and the Faroe Islands.2 The Realm itself constitutes a sovereign state. Within the framework of the Realm, Greenland is a country with a special territorial autonomy3 referred to as the Self-Government. This includes its own parliamentary assemblies, the Greenland Parliament (Inatsisartut) and a local government, the Government of Greenland (Naalakkersuisut).4 A number of policy areas (fields of responsibility) have been taken over by the Self-Government.