Brief information on the individual presentations Kim Kielsen, Prime Minister of Greenland, Chairman of Siumut The visions - the reforms The fundamental vision of the government coalition is the national independence of Greenland, and the three coalition parties, Siumut, Inuit Ataqatigiit and Partii Nalaraq, are each committed to work for greater stability in the political work, and to create increased equality in society and a stable framework for the development of political solutions. Under the coalition agreement, necessary political reforms must be carried out in the areas of taxation, housing and social services, and in order to promote a more self- sustaining economy, the coalition’s business policy rests on four pillars: fishing and industry, mineral resources, tourism and land-based business and education. The foundation of the country’s business development must consist of good framework conditions for companies and an attractive investment climate for foreign investors. At the Future Greenland conference, Kim Kielsen will explain how the coalition government intends to implement a visionary reform policy. Margrethe Vestager, European Commissioner, former Danish government minister In the political ‘engine room’: How is a business policy agenda created and implemented? Margrethe Vestager will talk about how to generate growth in a way that benefits a wide swathe of society, and about investments and the confidence needed in connection with major investment decisions. Important parameters are a well-trained workforce, a good research environment, entrepreneurial spirit, and a willingness to enter into cooperation and partnership in order to tackle challenges that are too large for us to handle alone. Randi Vestergaard Evaldsen, Member of Parliament, former Minister of Finance and Mineral Resources Growth and welfare: How do we create a political balance? In her presentation, Randi Vestergaard Evaldsen will point out that the benefits of the welfare society are a luxury that many countries envy Greenland. But it is a luxury that is under pressure. If we fail to adapt our society to the massive challenges we face, it is the welfare society that will be the loser in the end, she assesses. 1 As a society, Greenland must therefore constantly create growth so that we can afford welfare. That development begins at home, and continues in primary school. This is where the human resources are formed that will be crucial to the society of the future. Anders Krab-Johansen, editor and managing director of Børsen We win when we wake – the art of remaining a wealthy society Anders Krab-Johansen warns that prosperity can become a pretext for inaction, which means that an understanding of the connection between work and prosperity is lost. He points out that Danes of the welfare society have failed to grasp their opportunities, and are losing the ability to reinvent themselves as a true market economy. It is against this background that he will mirror the Greenlandic community at the Future Greenland conference. Angelina Mehta, Sentient Group The requirements of investors and capital towards Greenland Angelina Mehta will speak about Sentient’s investment practices and the company’s expectations towards success in Greenland, and she will also comment on the company’s investments in Greenland since 2012. Professor Torben M. Andersen, Aarhus University, Chairman of the Economic Council A self-sustaining economy – demands and possibilities What possibilities exist to create a self-sustaining economy, and what would this demand? What strengths has Greenland, and what barriers does it face in relation to strengthening its business development, and thereby ensuring progress towards a more self-sustaining economy? What are the economic and political demands – and the possibilities of meeting them? Professor Minik Rosing, geologist, University of Copenhagen, Chairman of the Board of the University of Greenland Greenland Perspective – can Greenland create new businesses that contribute to global solutions? The University of Greenland and the University of Copenhagen are responsible for the initiative ‘Greenland Perspective’, which is in many ways a response to the 2014 report 2 ‘For the Benefit of Greenland’. By drawing upon international research, local businesses, authorities and civil society, Greenland Perspective aims to examine how the special characteristics of Greenland can be turned into an advantage and used as a lever for positive development in the country. Kuupik Kleist, Consultant, former Prime Minister of Greenland The mining industry’s encounter with Greenland – Are we competitive? Kuupik Kleist takes his starting-point in Greenland’s acute need for new economic activities, and the background to this need. Referring to the latest annual benchmarking analyses from the Fraser Institute, he will highlight the crucial factors for the investment climate, and thereby the willingness of investors to take risks. Finally, he will suggest what measures are needed in order to promote a mining industry in Greenland. Lars Storr-Hansen, Managing Director, Danish Construction Association Value creation in the construction sector – the greatest challenges right now Lars Storr-Hansen will focus on political initiatives aimed at benefiting the economy and employment. He will outline some general issues that are also relevant in Greenland – such as the shortage of labour, the planning of public construction projects and labour market reforms. The planning of major public projects often goes awry in both Denmark and Greenland. This is a problem for the industry – especially when project planning is not done properly, or already allocated money is not invested as predicted. Public investment is crucial for many construction companies – in Greenland, these typically involve investments in harbours, airports, other major infrastructure projects and urban development. The companies are dependent on investments occurring at a steady pace, so they do not have to continually accelerate and slow down. If companies cannot plan for the long term, it is impossible to sustain the required capacity in the form of qualified employees and technical resources. It also means that the individual projects become more expensive than necessary. The companies of the construction industry have one overall wish: stability! Doris Jakobsen, Minister for Education, Culture, Research and the Church Primary schools astray and teacher training in crisis – what can be done? 3 Doris Jakobsen will provide a brief description of the current situation in primary schools, and outline the visions and plans of the government of Greenland for a primary school that is more closely linked to upper secondary and vocational education. Helene Høj, Consultant, Danish Construction Association, Dept. for Regional Policy, Labour Market and Training How do we strengthen the vocational schools and recruitment to the manual trades? Helene Høj will hold a presentation on the strategy of the Danish Construction Association to attract young people to vocational education, and will describe how the organisation brings its member companies and the primary schools into play. She will describe the current training situation in the construction industry, and outline how the educational system forms the framework for the industry’s recruitment possibilities. Torben Möger Pedersen, Managing Director, PensionDanmark The requirements of investors and capital towards Greenland On the basis of the experience gleaned from PensionDanmark’s infrastructure investments of more than DKK 25 billion in Europe and the United States, and from the Climate Investment Fund, Torben Pedersen Möger will present some ideas on how money from the Danish pension funds could find its way to Greenland. Torben Möger Pedersen will assess Greenland as an investment country in relation to infrastructure, housing construction, etc., and describe PensionDanmark’s overall investment considerations. Presentation of the speakers Kim Kielsen Kim Kielsen is chairman of the Greenlandic parliament, and thereby Prime Minister of the government of Greenland. Mr Kielsen, who is a trained police officer, has been chairman of the Siumut party since 2014. His political career took off in 2005 when he was elected to both the municipal council in Paamiut and the national parliament. From 2007 to 2009, he was Minister for Infrastructure and the Environment. In November 2013 he became Minister for the Environment, Nature and Nordic Cooperation, and in October 2014, he became Minister of Housing. In October 2014 Kim Kielsen became acting prime minister, and after the parliamentary elections of 28 November 2014, he formed a coalition government consisting of Siumut, the Democrats and Atassut. 4 The coalition was dissolved in October 2016 when Siumut terminated its cooperation with the Democrats and Atassut, after which Siumut, Inuit Ataqatigiit and Partii Naleraq formed a new coalition, with Kim Kielsen as Prime Minister. Margrethe Vestager Margrethe Vestager is European Commissioner for Competition in the EU. She was Minister of Education in the Danish government from 1998-2001 and political leader of the Danish Social-Liberal Party from 2007-2014, as well as Minister for Economic and Home Affairs and Denmark’s Deputy Prime Minister from 2011-2014. Margrethe Vestager is a graduate of Varde Secondary School and holds an MA in Political Science from the University of Copenhagen. Randi Vestergaard Evaldsen Randi Vestergaard Evaldsen is chairman of the