Greenland time to shift one hour closer to US by late 2027
Parliament approves time change to reduce the gap with Washington and increase it with Copenhagen.
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
Most of Greenland, an island with a population of around 56,000, will return to its previous time zone, which is three hours behind Greenwich Mean Time, in late 2027, following a decision made by parliament on Thursday, according to Sermitsiaq.
As a result, the time difference between Greenland (the Arctic island) and Copenhagen will increase by one hour, reaching four hours as of October 31, 2027, while the time difference with Washington will decrease by one hour, reaching two hours. Daylight saving time will remain in effect.
Greenland has debated for years which time zone it should adopt. Most of the island did not switch to the time zone two hours behind Greenwich Mean Time until 2023, with the aim of aligning its time with that of Denmark and the rest of Europe.
Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, opposed the return to the old time zone before parliament, fearing negative economic repercussions, given that Greenland’s key trading partners are in Europe.
He also stated that the window during which Greenland’s healthcare system can communicate with specialists in Denmark would shrink, and that the change would negatively affect flights to Europe.
However, many Greenlanders had wanted to return to the old time zone, according to Sermitsiaq. Citizens had collected around 4,000 signatures in support of the change.
