Among the items under discussion in yesterday’s meeting between Icelandic Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir and Faroese premier Kaj Leo Johannesen was the Faroe Islands’ recent first hand experience with severe financial crisis and emigration in the 1990s.
The two leaders met in Iceland’s Thingvellir National Park to discuss issues of co-operation including healthcare services, high school and university co-operation and co-operation in the seafood sector, a press release from the PM’s office states. They also spent time discussing how the Faroe Islands have successfully fought depopulation and financial crisis in recent years.
The two countries closely co-operate in the field of health; including the treatment of Faroese patients in Iceland for certain specialist procedures.
Sigurdardottir thanked Johannesen again for the loan the Faroe Islands granted Iceland last year. The two agreed that further opportunities for co-operation still exist. Johannesen furthermore pointed out the importance of Iceland’s EU application and said the Faroe Islands are watching with close interest.
“Johannesen furthermore pointed out the importance of Iceland’s EU application and said the Faroe Islands are watching with close interest.”
Yes, they must watch with close interest; if the currency in Faroe, had not been the Euro-Krone, … uffffffssssssss … Terrible
This is a joke right?.
“They also spent time discussing how the Faroe Islands have successfully fought depopulation and financial crisis in recent years”
Can you say years and years of Money support from Denmark?.
“Johannesen furthermore pointed out the importance of Iceland’s EU application and said the Faroe Islands are watching with close interest.”
This really maked me laugh. Sure sure they are.
Dear Mike, you forgot Faroes also ‘sold’ licenses to Statoil and its partners ;)
Mike, you’re joking right ?
The Faroes did go through a banking crisis in the 80′s. The effect on family budgets was horrific, people left the country in huge numbers.. But still, the population has reached the point it was at, and is growing. The current financial crisis has not hit very hard. My guess is that people are cautious. There is a different mentality there compared to here in Iceland. Very few people had savings in Icelandic banks, hardly anyone had foreign currency loans etc. Sure, unemployment has gone up slightly, but it is still lower than in most European countries, and has declined the past 2 months.
The comment on financial support from Denmark indicates that you don’t have much insight into the matter.. am I right ? The danish money is not pumped into the country as such. It is covering expenses of areas which are still under Danish rule, one of which is the judicial system. The Faroes are taking over different areas at a few years intervals. E.g. the church, education, airspace etc have recently been taken over, thus the financing for those areas are no longer coming from Denmark. Also, the actual amount of Danish funding is so low that I don’t think it qualifies as an argument for why the Faroese financial situation is stable, even good.
The reason as to why the Faroes are following Icelands EU process carefully is because Iceland and Norway have been in a strong alliance with the Faroes, being outside the EU, and having a lot of fishery agreements. This might all change if Iceland enters the EU, and this might also put pressure on the Faroes to consider joining.
The Faroese Prime Minister at the moment, Johannesen, is part of the Unionist Party. The UP wants to join the EU as a part of Denmark. They want to the country to be completely Danish, and thus be EU members. It is a bit out of place for home to share his own view as being that of the whole country. The last election actually indicated 60-70% of the electorate want to be indipendant from Denmark. Thus they also, most likely, would not want to be part of the EU.
Anyways, Im no expert. But I like the country, The people are amazingly friendly! And actually the politics of the tiny place is interesting!
Sophie. Wiki is your friend:
“20% of Faroe Islands’ national budget comes as economic aid from Denmark, which is about the same as 50% of Faroe Islands’ total expense budget.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faroe_Islands#Economy
That’s substantial. Your point about the Danes paying for areas that the Danes control may or may not be true, but it doesn’t invalidate Mike’s point that The Faroes have been subsidised. The Danes may control the judicial system, but all of the benefit of that system goes to the Faroese.
In my daily circles Wiki is usually not good enough to make a valid argument by, thus I forget to even check Wiki for info. But yes, that stuff looks updated and good enough.
Who benefits from the areas which are funded by danish money is relative. When the Danes controlled the Faroese airspace the income from traffic above went to them, this income was substantial. When Danes had control of the seabed, the potential oil would be theirs, luckily the Faroese recently took over those areas. It is a slow process, both the Danish and Faroese governments have agreed to do it this way. The Danes have a steady income from the areas they still control, and by the fact that 80% of expenditure in the Faroes goes trough Danish companies. The Faroes and Greenland also give Denmark an amazing Geopolitical advantage, which will be a great loss to them. Previous Danish prime ministers have tried hard to keep from parting, but the two most recent prime ministers seem more lenient.
It is slightly annoying that you say my previous point may or may not be true. I know it to be true. Nevermind, you can look into it if you want something more reliable than me, but please, consider other sources than Wiki to be exact.
>It is slightly annoying that you say my previous point may or may not be true. I know it to be true.
Well you may know it to be true, but you’ve already misstated the situation regarding the level of subsidy, so I don’t know that it’s true. My point was that I haven’t looked into it to confirm or deny it, but that it was IMO irrelevant. YMMV.
BTW, I did check out the Wiki cite before I posted, although as it came from a political party perhaps that source was even less reliable than usual :) .
The CIA have other facts, about USD 100m subsidy
“Aided by a substantial annual subsidy (about 15% of GDP) from Denmark,”
Import bill for goods from Denmark is ca. USD 375m
Sophie’s point about the banking crisis and depopulation is accurate and is germane to the article.
I hope the Faroe Island get what they deserve and go bankrupt.
This Island is barbaric in there beliefs
See below if you agree:
Faroe Island is a big shame
The sea is stained in red and in the mean while its not because of the climate effects of nature.
It’s because of the cruelty that the human beings (civilised human) kill hundreds of the famous and intelligent Calderon dolphins.
This happens every year in Feroe island in Denmark . In this slaughter the main participants are young teens.
WHY?
To show that they are adults and mature…. BULLLLsh
In this big celebration, nothing is missing for the fun. Everyone is participating in one way or the other, killing or looking at the cruelty “supporting like a spectator”
Is it necessary to mention that the dolphin calderon, like all the other species of dolphins, it’s near instinction and they get near men to play and interact. In a way of PURE friendship
They don’t die instantly; they are cut 1, 2 or 3 times with thick hocks. And at that time the dolphins produce a grim extremely compatible with the cry of a new born child.
But he suffers and there’s no compassion till this sweet being slowly dies in its own blood
Its enough!
We will send this mail until this email arrives in any association defending the animals, we won’t only read. That would make us accomplices, viewers.
Take care of the world, it is your home!
Shame on you Faroe Island, I wish with all my might Karma comes onto your bloody Island.
Photo’s of this callus murder of dolphins is being viewed all over the world. Believe me your tourist industry is going to cease unless a change is done and you STOP the murder of these innocent dolphins, unless of course your happy with Faroe Dolphin Massacre Island and many photo’s to prove it.
So there was a mass of people that left in the 80s, 2010 will be the same.
The world is starting to call Faroe Island the murder island of dolphins
Shame on you Faroe Island, I wish with all my might Karma come onto your bloody Island.
Here’s the link to the murderous pic’s
http://bluepanjeet.net/2008/11/22/1594/the-horrible-whale-and-dolphin-massacre-tradition-of-faroe-islands-in-denmark/