Greenland and the Faroe Islands are neither members of  the EU nor the European Economic Area (EEA) despite the fact that  they are closely tied to Denmark as parts of the Danish Realm.

Greenland and the Faroe Islands have their own history with the EU. When Denmark became a member of the European Community in 1973, Greenland joined too because it had not yet been granted autonomy. In 1979, this changed with Greenland’s newfound home rule. Following an advisory referendum, Greenland left the European Community on February 1, 1985. The Faroe Islands’ history is different. Since the Faroe Islands had had home rule since 1948  they were able to optout of European Community membership when Denmark joined.

Strong ties to the EU

The Faroe Islands and Greenland have had strong ties to the EU. In both self-governments, fishing makes up a large part of the economy. Therefore, Greenland and the Faroe Islands have made special fishing agreements with the EU. Greenland has the status of an overseas country and territory with special ties (OCT) and so-called association agreements with the EU, while the Faroe Islands have a free trade agreement with the EU.

Schengen zone

Denmark is part of the Schengen zone, while Greenland and the Faroe Islands are not. This means that citizens from the Schengen zone cannot travel freely to Greenland and the Faroe Islands. There are, however, special agreements that make travel between Denmark and Greenland and the Faroe Islands easier. Denmark, via the Schengen agreement, is obligated to allow the Danish police to practice effective border control at the Greenlandic and Faroese borders as countries outside of the Schengen zone. Although Greenland and the Faroe Islands are not part of Schengen, they are part of the Nordic cooperation for a passport-free zone and freedom of travel within the Nordic countries.