Iceland government lists 159 parliamentary measures but omits key proposals

Iceland’s government has presented a parliamentary agenda containing 159 measures, but several proposals highlighted in its coalition agreement are missing, mbl.is reports. The agenda also contains no specific bill directly targeting inflation and high interest rates, despite those issues being identified as government priorities.

The government’s leaders held a news conference on Tuesday to introduce the agenda, but journalists were not given the document at the meeting in the ministers’ residence. Instead, they received a limited presentation of its contents, with the full agenda due to be discussed after the prime minister’s policy speech in Alþingi on Wednesday evening.

The agenda includes more new charges, obligations, oversight and changes to government operations. The article questions whether these measures will benefit the economy. It says other measures, including a balanced budget, administrative simplification, targeted action on energy production and distribution, and planned housing construction, may help over time but will not address the economic problems facing the country immediately.

Among the notable omissions is a major bill on aquaculture, which has been under preparation for a long time and was expected to be one of the key measures in the government’s economic policy. A bill on changes to parental leave, which was emphasised in the coalition agreement, is also absent. The agenda likewise contains no proposal to withdraw Iceland’s application to join the European Union.

However, the article notes that the omissions do not necessarily indicate that the measures will not be pursued. The previous parliamentary agenda did not mention the referendum that later dominated Icelandic politics for around six months.

159 measures and more EEA legislation

The agenda contains 159 measures: 133 bills, 17 parliamentary resolutions and nine ministerial reports to Alþingi. Twenty-four are measures carried over from the previous parliamentary session.

It also includes 27 measures to incorporate European Economic Area rules, twice as many as in the previous agenda.

The remaining measures vary in scope and importance. Some are technical, while others have been reintroduced several times. The agenda also includes politically significant proposals concerning taxation, property rights, oversight powers and the direct position of individuals and companies in relation to the state.

Major aquaculture bill missing

Hanna Katrín Friðriksson, the minister of industry, plans to introduce a bill on a nature and infrastructure charge. In simpler terms, this would be a new tourist charge, an idea that has been discussed in various forms. The aim is for tourists to cover a larger share of the cost of natural attractions and infrastructure they use and enjoy.

The proposed level of the charge and how it would be collected have not been disclosed, while the tourism industry has expressed serious concerns about it.

The minister also plans to introduce separate legislation on macroalgae cultivation and marine aquaculture outside traditional fish-farming areas. The article says the absence of the major aquaculture bill is more notable because it has been in preparation for a long time.