The owners of foreign companies that apply for licenses to explore Greenland's subsoil for raw materials and minerals should be checked earlier.
This is the admission from the Greenland Mineral Resources Authority, Naaja H. Nathanielsen (IA), in an email to the investigative media Danwatch:
"I understand the part of the criticism that is about conducting an early screening of investors, and I accept it without reservation," she writes.
The announcement comes after Danwatch revealed on Thursday last week how a shady Australian mining investor, Michael Shemesian, was awarded exploration licenses in Greenland without the Ministry of Mineral Resources having previously investigated who the real owner was.
Shark-filled waters
This has raised criticism from, among others, Jacob Kaarsbo, a security advisor and former chief analyst in the Danish Defense Intelligence Agency:
"This is very serious. We are moving in shark-filled waters in terms of security policy, and if you don't control the owners, you end up with someone with ties to the Chinese state suddenly at the end of the company, or maybe someone from the Trump administration who wants to use it to undermine the Commonwealth," he says, adding:
"If this guy (Michael Shemesian, ed.) can get licenses without the Ministry of Mineral Resources knowing about it, who else can? It's a huge problem."
Defending procedures
In the email to Danwatch, Naaja Nathanielsen writes that she fundamentally disagrees with the claims that things are not under control in the mineral resources sector in Greenland. She thus rejects the idea that Greenland is currently issuing licenses "blindly" or undermining the security of the Kingdom, and she emphasizes that the authorities can issue orders, change conditions or ultimately revoke a permit if the requirements for the license are not met.
“That said, I do not disagree at all that every responsible authority must constantly adapt to current conditions,” she writes.
The Minister acknowledges that the increased international pressure on the raw materials sector makes it necessary to continuously adjust controls:
“Therefore, Naalakkersuisut (Greenland government, ed.) is already reviewing the framework for foreign investments in light of the last 14 months of external pressure. And it is not at all unthinkable that we will introduce stricter measures regarding earlier screening of investors in this connection.”
Screening law underway
The work on the aforementioned screening law has been initiated precisely to prevent foreign investments from posing a threat to Greenland’s security or public order.
It was originally supposed to come into force on January 1 this year, but according to the Attorney General, the 2nd and 3rd readings of the bill have been postponed until the spring.
