Danish Autonomies in the Process of Gaining Independence

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to present the legal and political status of the Danish autonomies in the perspective of their aspiration to gain independence from Denmark. The Author presents a number of attempts to define the idea of territorial autonomy and determines its meaning in the light of constitutional law. The article contains a historical, economic and political analysis of conditioning, which have affected present legal status of the Danish autonomies and their relations with the Kingdom of Denmark. This analysis allows to formulate a conclusion that the immediate future will be essential for settling the problem of political prospect of both Faroe Islands and Greenland. It remains an open question whether they will join a circle of independent states, or preserve their current legal status within the Kingdom of Denmark, or cooperate more closely with the European Union.