The Nordic Countries and the European Security and Defence Policy

48 INSTITUTIONAL AND NATIONAL POLITICSNeither has any indigenous military forces, although the Faroe Islands have afisheries patrol vessel of their own. Both territories are currently debating justhow far their autonomy should develop and whether they might at some time inthe future want full independence and to be able to manage their economieswithout the present massive grants from Denmark. It is not totally clear whatconsequences for these territories, if any, would follow from full Danish participationin the ESDP. Neither dependency is a member of the EU at present. 33A further aspect of the Atlantic dimension of Danish policy is, of course, thevery close security and defence relationship between Denmark and the USA.Part of this rests on the Greenland factor mentioned above: Greenland isstrategically important to the USA, and the USA is in Greenland on the strengthof the bilateral 1951 Defense Agreement with Denmark that is linked toNATO’s Washington Treaty and runs as long as that treaty is in force. 34 In 2004Greenland became a co-signatory of an amendment to this bilateral agreement. 35Another part of the relationship is the deep debt of gratitude owed to thecountry that helped free Denmark from both Hitler’s Germany and the Sovietthreat. A third element may lie in the very fact that Denmark—temporarily, asargued above—has isolated itself from the ESDP and is seeking to compensatefor this by drawing closer to the USA and being a helpful ally in various otherways. However, what ultimate profit this ‘special relationship’ holds forDenmark remains an unanswered question. There may be some arms exportorders and some military co-production, but probably not a great deal of addedinfluence on world events.VI. Conclusions: the Nordic dimensionThe Nordic countries share most values, many central aspects of political, societaland material culture, and a great deal of history. It could even be said thatmost of them even share a common language. When it comes to security anddefence, however, they have all gone their more or less separate ways. Until theearly 19th century, while Denmark (which then included Norway and Iceland)33 The Faroe Islands, which have had home rule since 1948, received a specific exemption from ECmembership in Denmark’s 1973 Treaty of Accession and their citizens are not treated as Danish citizensfor EU purposes. Greenland was an integral part of Denmark in 1973 and was thus taken into the ECdespite the fact that 70% of the population voted against joining. Following the grant of home rule toGreenland in 1979 and increasing friction over EC fishing rules, a 1982 referendum resulted in Greenland’swithdrawal from the EC on 1 Feb. 1985. By way of comparison, it is interesting to note that Åland,which has a high degree of autonomy under Finnish sovereignty, chose to join the EU together withFinland in 1995 after a seperate referendum, although it remains outside the EU tax union.34 Defense of Greenland: Agreement between the United States and the Kingdom of Denmark, signedon 27 Apr. 1951, URL .35 Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of theKingdom of Denmark, Including the Home Rule Government of Greenland, to Amend and Supplementthe Agreement of 27 April 1951 Pursuant to the North Atlantic Treaty between the Government of theUnited States of America and the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark Concerning the Defense ofGreenland (Defense Agreement) Including Relevant Subsequent Agreements Related Thereto, signed on 6Aug. 2004, URL .