Withdrawal of Greenland from the European Communities


The withdrawal of Greenland from the European Communities took place in 1985. This followed a referendum in 1982 in which 53% voted to leave.

Greenland Treaty

The Greenland Treaty was an agreement between the member states of the European Communities, concerning Greenland's exit from the European Communities. It followed the Greenlandic referendum in 1982 in which voters supported exiting the EC.
The Treaty arranged for the exit of Greenland and amended earlier treaties of the European Communities. As such, it is an integral part of the constitutional basis of the European Union. The decision to withdraw was made after Greenland had achieved self-rule, was made to protect Greenland's rights to its fishing waters and to limit external influence. When Denmark entered the EC in 1973, Greenland was a special part of Denmark with not much self-rule, so Greenland had no choice but to enter the EC with Denmark. This was in opposite to the Faroe Islands, which had self-rule and decided not to enter the EC.
The Treaty entered into force on 1 February 1985 and as a result Greenland formally withdrew from the European Communities.