Danish-Greenlandic declaration on nuclear safeguards: A stepping stone to legislation

On 1 February 2016, a joint declaration on nuclear safeguards between the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Greenlandic Department of Industry, Labour and Trade (DILT) was published. It marked the end of two years of talks which focused on clarifying authorities and tasks between the two in relation to Greenland’s production and export of uranium. The declaration spells out how Greenland and Denmark will administratively structure a system for uranium governance to ensure compliance with the ‘Commonwealth of the Realm’ or the Rigsfællessab’s international safeguards obligations. It serves as the political basis for forthcoming legislation on nuclear safeguards to be debated in both parliaments in the coming months.