It is a great honor for me to open the biennial North Atlantic Fish Fair 2005. This is the third exhibition of this kind held here in the Faroe Islands, following the exhibitions in 2001 and 2003. The previous exhibitions were both very successful in all respects and I am confident that the North Atlantic Fish Fair 2005 will be so too.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a great honor for me to open the biennial North Atlantic Fish Fair 2005. This is the third exhibition of this kind held here in the Faroe Islands, following the exhibitions in 2001 and 2003. The previous exhibitions were both very successful in all respects and I am confident that the North Atlantic Fish Fair 2005 will be so too.
It is not often that we in the Faroes experience some 250 international companies from countries such as: Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Shetland, Scotland, England, Portugal, Holland, France, Lithuania, the US and of course the Faroes, come together here to market their products and meet prospective customers. This is a great achievement!
You are all here today to explore business and investment opportunities. I hope you all will be successful in doing so.
Hopefully, this exhibition will lead to increased trade and closer economic contacts between the companies present here today, and between the countries you represent and us here in the Faroes.
It is our task as political leaders to make sure that the proper conditions exist for our traders and investors. My government is actively pursuing policies to this effect and has made it one of its main objectives to remove any hindrance that might exist.
We have stated earlier this year that we aim to make the Faroe Islands “among the most prosperous nations in the world” by 2015. The government is currently drafting a strategic plan that will put forward concrete initiatives, which shall ensure that we reach this ambitious goal. This is why the government this summer will be presenting a series of industrial policies focusing on ways of improving business conditions and policies facilitating innovation, entrepreneurship and international trade
Our government has made it very clear that we want an open international trade environment and a knowledge-based economy.
Inventiveness and creativity is absolutely key to developing a competitive and prosperous economy.
I am therefore glad to see that many of you here today represent companies that have been successful in the field of innovation.
Ladies and gentlemen,
You are here today to explore concrete opportunities for trade and investment. As business leaders from most of the countries in Europe and North America, you know better than anyone where the opportunities lie.
I wish you all the best of luck.
Thank you for your attention.
Prime Minister, Joannes Eidesgaard