Greenland, from October returns to the old time zone, closer to Washington

(Adnkronos) – Starting from October 31, 2027, the time difference between Greenland and Copenhagen will increase by one hour, returning to 4, while the gap with Washington time will decrease by one hour, dropping to 2. This was established by a vote in the Greenlandic parliament, reports today the newspaper Sermitsiaq, specifying that daylight saving time will remain in effect. For years, there has been a discussion in Greenland about which time zone to adopt. Most of the Arctic island had switched to GMT-2 in 2023, with the aim of aligning more closely with Denmark and the rest of Europe. Greenland is officially part of the Kingdom of Denmark but enjoys extensive autonomy. The Greenlandic Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, had spoken in parliament against returning to the old time zone, fearing negative economic repercussions, considering that Greenland’s main trading partners are in Europe. Furthermore, he noted, the time window during which the Greenlandic healthcare system can contact specialist doctors in Denmark would be reduced, and the change would also have a negative impact on air connections with Europe. However, according to Sermitsiaq, many inhabitants of Greenland hoped for a return to the old time zone; about 4,000 signatures (out of a total of about 56,000 citizens) had also been collected in support of the change.