In New Year speech, Greenland’s leader steps up push for independence from Denmark

PM Mute Egede’s speech comes on heels of comments by Donald Trump, who has expressed his wish for US ‘ownership and control’ of Greenland

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Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede in the capital, Nuuk, in March. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 1:36am, 4 Jan 2025Updated: 1:50am, 4 Jan 2025

Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede emphasised his desire to pursue independence from Denmark, its former colonial ruler, during his New Year speech, marking a significant change in the rhetoric surrounding the Arctic island’s future.

Egede’s speech, which comes on the heels of comments by US president-elect Donald Trump expressing his wish for “ownership and control” of Greenland, also expressed a desire to strengthen Greenland’s cooperation with other countries.

“It is about time that we ourselves take a step and shape our future, also with regard to who we will cooperate closely with, and who our trading partners will be,” he said.

An independence movement has gained traction in Greenland in recent years in part due to revelations of misconduct by Danish authorities during the 20th century, including an involuntary birth control campaign launched in the 1960s.

Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953 but is now a self-governing territory of Denmark and in 2009 achieved the right to claim independence through a vote. In 2023, Greenland’s government presented its first draft constitution.

“The history and current conditions have shown that our cooperation with the Kingdom of Denmark has not succeeded in creating full equality,” Egede said.