Faroes seek to revive free trade talks with EU

The Faroe Islands are once again seeking a free trade agreement with the European Union, KVF reports. Bárður á Steig Nielsen, the minister for foreign and fisheries affairs, travelled to Brussels on Monday to meet EU commissioners about relations between the Faroes and the EU.

Nielsen said the goal was a free trade agreement, not EU membership. He is due to hold meetings throughout the week, including with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

Under the current trade agreement, the EU has almost unrestricted access to sell goods in the Faroe Islands, while Faroese goods exported to the EU face both tariffs and quotas. The Faroes want greater balance in their trade relationship with the EU, Nielsen said.

He added that the situation remained unchanged following Iceland’s referendum on Saturday, in which a majority voted against reopening negotiations with the EU. Only voters in the Reykjavík region supported restarting the talks.