Greenland’s parliament passed a new law on Tuesday that prohibits political parties from accepting donations from foreign or anonymous sources. This move follows President Donald Trump’s expressed interest in having the United States take control of Greenland, an Arctic island rich in minerals that belongs to Denmark.
The law is designed to safeguard Greenland’s political independence and will take effect immediately. A translated parliamentary document explained that the bill was introduced in response to the geopolitical attention Greenland is receiving, particularly in light of the United States’ recent interest in the island.
Before his second term began in January, Trump indicated that he might consider using military force to take control of Greenland, calling it crucial to U.S. national security. Additionally, his son, Donald Trump Jr., visited Greenland the previous month and reassured citizens, saying, “We’re going to treat you well.”
Denmark has been a long-standing ally of the United States and is a founding member of NATO. Its semi-autonomous territory, Greenland, hosts a significant U.S. military base.
Greenland, covering 2.17 million square kilometers (836,000 square miles) and home to a population of around 57,000, is more than one-fifth the size of the United States, according to the CIA World Factbook.
Kent Fridberg, a senior legal officer at Greenland’s parliament, stated that he was unaware of any foreign donations to political parties in Greenland. He explained that the bill was essentially a preventative measure. Fridberg also pointed out that some Russian politicians had expressed similar interest in Greenland, and noted that political parties in the territory are primarily funded by public sources.
The new law also places limits on domestic private contributions, prohibiting any single party from receiving more than 200,000 Danish kroner (approximately $27,700) in total or more than 20,000 kroner (around $2,770) from one donor.