Faroe Islands seeks to leverage Ireland’s upcoming EU presidency for free trade talks

The Faroe Islands will use Ireland’s upcoming EU Council presidency to push for free trade negotiations, the chair of the Faroese foreign affairs committee said Tuesday after meeting with Ireland’s ambassador to Denmark.

Jørgen Niclasen told public broadcaster KVF that Ireland’s ambassador to Copenhagen, Kyle O’Sullivan, visited Tórshavn last week, calling such diplomatic engagements “exactly the kind of visits we should use to our advantage.” Ireland is set to assume the rotating EU presidency in early 2027, and Niclasen said the Faroes must “make our desire for a free trade agreement clear.”

The Faroese export sector has long sought better access to EU markets, with the Faroese Fisheries Association’s 2025 annual report explicitly urging efforts to revise existing trade terms. Roughly half of the Faroe Islands’ total exports go to the EU, while about half of its imports originate from EU member states.