The 1982 Greenlandic European Communities membership referendum was a

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

that took place on 23 February 1982, over whether

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

should continue to be a member of the

European Communities The European Communities (EC) were three international organizations that were governed by the same set of institutions. These were the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom), and the ...

(EC). Greenland had joined the EC in 1973 when

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

joined, even though a majority of 70% of the Greenlandic votes in the Danish EC referendum held in 1972 had been against membership. In the spring of 1981, after Greenlandic home rule had been established in 1979 and the

eurosceptic Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies, and seek reform ...

party

Siumut Siumut (, ) is a political party in Greenland in the social democratic tradition. Since the establishment of home rule in 1979, it has been the dominant party in Greenland. Siumut is led by Erik Jensen, who beat the then-incumbent Prime Ministe ...

won the 1979 election, the

Parliament of Greenland The Inatsisartut ( kl, Inatsisartut; '' da, Landstinget, lit=''the land's- thing'' of Greenland''), also known as the Parliament of Greenland in English, is the unicameral parliament (legislative branch) of Greenland, an autonomous territory* ...

agreed to hold a referendum on its continued membership.Petersen, Nikolaj (2006) 004''Dansk udenrigspolitiks historie 6: Europæisk og globalt engagement 1973–2006'', 2nd. edition . Copenhagen: Gyldendal, pp. 372–75. . The result of the referendum was a majority in favour of leaving the EC, and this was enacted by the

Greenland Treaty After being a part of the European Communities (EC) for twelve years, Greenland withdrew in 1985. It had joined the EC in 1973 as a county of Denmark, even though a majority in Greenland was against joining. In a consultative referendum in 19 ...

, which allowed the EC to keep its fishing rights. Greenland continues to be considered one of the

Overseas Countries and Territories The special territories of members of the European Economic Area (EEA) are the 32 special territories of EU member states and EFTA member states which, for historical, geographical, or political reasons, enjoy special status within or outside ...

of the EU, giving it a special relationship with the Union.

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Referendums in Greenland 1982 in Greenland 1982 in international relations 1982 in the European Economic Community Referendums related to the European Union Withdrawal from the European Union February 1982 events in Europe Greenland–European Union relations February 1982 events in North America {{EU-stub

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