Faroe Islands autonomy
The Law on the Autonomy of the Faroe Islands (Heimastýrislógin) was passed on March 31, 1948 by the Danish King Frederik IX. signed. It ensures the small Nordic island nation extensive self-determination in all internal affairs, while foreign and defense policy remains with Denmark .
The Autonomy Act was supplemented with essential points in 2005 by the Fámjin Treaty and the Takeover Act .
prehistory
Historically, the Autonomy Act is a compromise in a decade-long dispute since the beginning of the national movement with the Faroe Islands Christmas meeting in 1888 and the language dispute in the first half of the 20th century.
During the British occupation of the Faroe Islands in World War II , the Faroe Islands flag was internationally recognized, and due to the isolation from the "motherland" Denmark, the Faroe Islands had their own government, albeit under the chairmanship of the Danish magistrate Carl Aage Hilbert .
Due to this relative independence during World War II, the collective self-confidence of the Faroese grew , and the dream of state sovereignty seemed within reach. The neighboring country of Iceland had been a sovereign kingdom in personal union with Denmark since 1918 , but declared itself a republic on June 17, 1944 . However, there was no convincing majority for an analogous development in the Faroe Islands, as the constitutional crisis with the debacle of the referendum showed.
"Debacle" is to be understood ambiguously here, because on the one hand a majority of the Løgting was in favor of remaining in the kingdom, and on the other hand a narrow majority of the population decided against it - so they were no longer represented on this issue by their own parties. One consequence of this political vacuum was the formation of the republican Tjóðveldisflokkurin with broad support from young intellectuals and the working class.
After the referendum, the Løgting was dissolved by the Danish king and lengthy negotiations between the Faroe Islands and Denmark ensued. Ultimately, the Autonomy Act is a modified form of the government proposal that was voted on at the time, i. H. the whereabouts of the Faroe Islands in the Kingdom.
content
The main points of the Autonomy Act are:
- The Faroe Islands are recognized as a self-governing nation within the Kingdom of Denmark.
- An A and a B list regulates the competencies of the newly established state government of the Faroe Islands . A-matters are the full responsibility of the Faroe Islands, while B-matters have to be coordinated with the Danish government. The takeover law mentioned above expanded this regulation in favor of the Faroe Islands, so that today no more questions have to be asked if the Faroe Islands want to take over competences.
- The freely elected Løgting has legislative power and the Løgmaður (head of government) has to ratify these laws.
- Foreign and defense policy remains with Denmark (the Fámjin Act 2005 changed this significantly in favor of the Faroe Islands).
- Every citizen of the Faroe Islands is considered a member of his own Faroese nationality (ethnicity, ethnicity), which is noted accordingly in the (Danish) passport. Citizenship is Danish, nationality is Faroese.
- The Faroese language is the main language in all areas, but Danish must be taught in school in such a way that every Faroese can speak it well (from the 3rd grade to graduation).
- The flag of the Faroe Islands is recognized. Anyone can fly it, and any ship registered in the Faroe Islands must fly this flag. On the other hand, the Danish authorities manage the Dannebrog , as do their ships. The citizens of the Faroe Islands are free to hoist the Dannebrog themselves (which is practically non-existent).
- The Faroe Islands elect two members of the Danish Folketing .
- The office of governor (Amtmaður) is abolished. Instead, the Danish government representative in Tórshavn is called the Reichsombudsmann .
The law came into force on April 1, 1948, the day after it was signed.
Consequences
Practical consequences have since become apparent in many areas. The Faroe Islands expanded their territorial waters to 200 nautical miles and took control of their mineral resources (oil suspected, but not yet developed). The Faroe Islands also refused to join the EU .
To this day, however, many Faroese criticize the fact that they were never allowed to vote on the Danish Basic Law. This question is just as important as the way in which full state sovereignty should be achieved - be it as a state in personal union with the Danish crown (imperial union) or as a republic like Iceland (detachment). There is little doubt in the Faroese people that sovereignty is desirable. The only question is how , and about it the opinions are divided, so that the Faroese party spectrum not only fans out to the left and right, but also from unionist ( Sambandsflokkurin ) to republican ( Tjóðveldisflokkurin ).
The Faroe Islands have formed an economic union with Iceland since 2005. A political union (possibly together with Greenland ) is currently not on the agenda.
Arguments for the Reich Union
The supporters of the Reich Union usually use the following arguments:
- the historical ties to Denmark and its monarchy,
- the economic advantages and career opportunities in the kingdom,
- the impossibility of building up a diplomatic apparatus of its own because of the low population of the Faroe Islands.
Arguments for detachment
Separation from Denmark is often justified with the following arguments:
- The right of peoples to self-determination also applies to the Faroe Islands (and is already indicated in the Autonomy Act).
- The Faroe Islands must be able to do without Danish subsidies in order to maintain their economic position.
- State sovereignty would make the Faroe Islands better known in the family of nations and thus stimulate the economy (e.g. through tourism and cultural mediation).
literature
- John F. West: Faroe. The Emergence of a Nation. C. Hurst & Company et al., London et al. 1972, ISBN 0-8397-2063-7 .
- Høgni Hoydal : Myten om Rigsfællesskabet. Lindhardt og Ringhof, København 2000, ISBN 87-595-1319-5 (The myth of the imperial community with Denmark, republican view).