Counteracting Trump's desire for Greenland, local parliament amends law to raise the threshold for foreign property ownership
The Danish newspaper Politiken reported that in response to US President Trump's repeated expressions of interest in Greenland, the Greenland Parliament recently passed an amendment to significantly tighten the conditions for foreigners acquiring property and land use rights in the area.
The Greenland Parliament voted on the 13th, passing the amendment with 21 votes in favor, 0 votes against, and 6 votes abstained.
According to current regulations, all land in Greenland belongs to the autonomous government. Individuals cannot purchase land, but they can obtain land use rights and purchase buildings on the land. The report pointed out that the background of this amendment is the increasing interest of foreigners in Greenland real estate in recent years.
Politiken previously found that several real estate agencies in Greenland stated that American buyers have shown particular interest in local properties, and this trend began after Trump repeatedly expressed his intention to "acquire Greenland."
Netbolig, the largest real estate agency in Greenland, said that although only about five transactions were made to non-Greenland or Danish buyers over the past 16 years, there have been about ten foreigners actively inquiring about purchasing properties this year, and most are Americans. Many of them not only want to buy existing properties but also hope to acquire larger-scale buildings.
Another agency revealed that soon after Trump took office, American companies proactively contacted them, hoping to collaborate on promoting Greenland properties to the international market.
The revised law will take effect in 2026. According to the new rules, in principle, only Greenland residents, Danish citizens, and institutions and organizations from the other autonomous territory of the Danish Kingdom, the Faroe Islands, are eligible to purchase property in Greenland or obtain land use rights.
Non-Danish citizens wishing to own property in the area must reside and pay taxes in Greenland for at least two consecutive years. Previously, the parliament also discussed whether to raise the threshold to five years, but consensus could not be reached. The social democratic party "The Forward" said it will continue to push for raising the residency period to five years. (Rural Cat)
Figure: The Greenland Parliament counteracts Trump by passing amendments to raise the conditions for foreigners to acquire property and land use rights. This is a photo of a protest crowd outside the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen, holding signs to confront Trump. (AFP archive photo)
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848807439703043/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.