In the past, Puerto Rico was often described as “a self-governing commonwealth.” Although this expression has been used less and less in the aftermath of the passage of a federal law that imposed a financial control board over the island, British news sources will still use the term “commonwealth” because the label actually means something about political status in the United Kingdom. There is another place close to the U.K. that is also described as self-governing: the Faroe Islands.
The Faroe Islands’ nearest neighbor is the Shetland Islands, which are part of the United Kingdom, but the Faroe Islands are part of Denmark. The Danish government describes them as “a self-governing part of Denmark.” The Faroese government describes the archipelago as “a self-governing nation within the Danish Kingdom.”
What does “self-governing” mean?
For the Faroe Islands as for Puerto Rico, self-governing really means home rule — that is, local authority. The Faroe Islands have their own parliament, just as Puerto Rico has its own House and Senate. The Faroe Islands are part of Denmark and under Denmark’s sovereignty just as Puerto Rico is part of the United States and under U.S. sovereignty. The head of state of the Faroe Islands is the King of Denmark, just as Puerto Rico’s head of state is the President of the United States. Denmark is responsible for the defense and foreign affairs of the Faroe Islands, just as the United States is responsible for the defense and foreign affairs of Puerto Rico.
The Faroese speak Faroese, just as Puerto Ricans speak Spanish, but in both cases the national languages (Danish and English, respectively) are also widely spoken. Both Puerto Rico and the Faroe Islands make their own decisions about taxes, education, and other internal matters. One big difference between the two is that the Faroe Islands negotiated a treaty in 2005 allowing the Faroe Islands, which are not part of the European Union, to arrange trade deals with the EU and with other countries on behalf of Denmark. Puerto Rico has tried to make trade deals with other countries in the past, but the United States has not allowed it.
Another big difference is that the Faroe Islands have two representatives in the Danish government, while Puerto Rico, with about 60 times the population of the Faroe Islands, has one non-voting Member of Congress. Since Denmark is a monarchy, there are no votes for the head of state in the Faroe Islands, nor anywhere else in Denmark. Puerto Rico also has no votes for the head of state, because Puerto Rico is not represented in the Electoral College.
Do the Faroe Islands want independence?
Independence is much more popular in the Faroe Islands than in Puerto Rico, and a referendum was planned in 2001. However, Denmark announced that it would end financial support for the Faroe Islands in four years if they chose independence. The referendum was cancelled. Free education and healthcare in the Faroe Islands are both financed by Denmark.
The Faroese have their own Faroe Islands passports, because they are not citizens of the European Union (the Faroe Islands chose not to be members of the EU). However, they have Danish citizenship by birthright, or by declaring to the High Commissioner that they want it. There is no separate Faroese citizenship, so people living in the Faroe Islands are generally Danish citizens. They can choose a Danish passport if they prefer it. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens with U.S. passports.
For both Puerto Rico and the Faroe Islands, independence would lead to loss of their current citizenship rights. In both cases, the terms of the relationship between the former mother country and a new republic would have to be negotiated, and voters could not know ahead of time how the evolution to new citizenship would progress.
However, unlike Puerto Rico, the Faroe Islands have a strong Independence Party, and candidates from that party are elected to positions in the local government. An interview with one of these officials explained that their strategy is to build the Faroe Islands up economically until they can support themselves, gradually taking over their own government and achieving independence in that way. The Faroe Islands currently rely primarily on fish (95% of their exports) and sheep, but they are working to diversify their economy.
What prevents Faroese independence?
Like Puerto Rico, the Faroe Islands does not want to give up its financial support. Denmark has made it clear that the Faroe Islands could not rely on their financial subsidy as a newly independent country. Puerto Rican separatists usually describe an independent Puerto Rico which remains financially dependent on the United States for many years. If Congress were to make clear whether this would be possible or not, the information might help clarify authentic possibilities for Puerto Rico.
The question of citizenship is also a hot one in the Faroe Islands, as it is in Puerto Rico. Denmark has not announced whether it would continue to allow citizens of an independent Faroe Islands to continue to hold Danish citizenship.
