In connection with the annual celebration of the Faroese Flag, the Representation of the Faroes hosted a luncheon reception today, Thursday, the 29th of April.
Attending the reception were British MP’s and other politicians, representatives of the diplomatic community, officials and close friends of the Faroes. The Prime Minister’s Permanent Secretary, Ms Marjun Hanusardóttir attended the reception as guest of honour, and gave a short speech outlining the role of the Faroes in the international community in the years to come.
Below you can read the speech given by the Prime Minister’s Permanent Secretary, Ms Marjun Hanusardóttir:
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Permanent Secretary Ms Marjun Hanusardóttir
Luncheon Reception Speech
London, 29 April 2004
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I very much appreciate this opportunity to meet so many distinguished guests, politicians, representatives of the diplomatic community, officials and close friends of the Faroes.
The celebration of the Faroese Flag which we call Merkið in Faroese, takes place on the 25 of April every year and has a central importance for the identity of the Faroese people.
Attending this reception here in London to mark our flag day, it is of particular interest to mention that the decision to recognize the Faroese Flag internationally was taken by the British authorities shortly after the friendly occupation of the Faroes by the British in 1940.
As Denmark had been occupied by Nazi Germany, the Faroese fishing fleet, which was shipping fish from Iceland to Scotland, were not permitted by the British Admiralty to fly the Danish Flag.
After some intense discussions both in Tórshavn between the British Commander, Representatives of the Faroese Parliament and the Danish Prefect, as well as in London by the Danish Ambassador and officials from the Foreign Office, the decision was taken on the 25 of April 1940 to recognize Merki as the official Flag of the Faroes.
In the same way as the annual celebration of the Flag is an important day for the whole Faroese nation, Britain’s role in recognising our flag has always been remembered in the Faroes.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to share with you our plans and visions for the role of the Faroes in the international community in the years to come. Also I want to touch on some foreign policy issues to which we give special attention and in which we wish to have a more active role.
Firstly, let me remind you that according to the Home Rule Act from 1948, which governs the relationship between Denmark and the Faroes, Foreign Affairs and Defence Policy issues, are the responsibility of the Danish authorities. This means that it is the Danish Foreign Minister and his administration that have the primary responsibility to take care of Faroese international interests.
In most cases the working relationship between the Faroese authorities and the Danish authorities has been a good one and Faroese interests have been well taken care of.
However, given the fact that the Faroes decided to remain outside when Denmark joined the Common Market in 1973, there have been issues - and still are - where the two parts of the Kingdom do not always see eye to eye. Furthermore, increasing globalisation has led to a much broader range and scope of international aspects in both administrative as well as business relations in general between countries
This fact and the special requirements and needs of the Faroes due to our differences from the rest of the Kingdom, have over the years resulted in a gradual transfer of competence from Copenhagen to the Faroes.
Accordingly, in the Faroes today we negotiate our own international agreements and treaties especially within fisheries and trade. We participate independently as associate member of the International Maritime Organisation, as full member of the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission, and together with Greenland as "Denmark on behalf of the Faroes and Greenland" in the regional fisheries organisations NEAFC, NAFO and NASCO, where Denmark participates as part of the EU delegation.
This role has given us a more independent Faroese international profile, and as a result we have gained important experiences to build upon.
But we need to broaden our competence as an active player in the international community. We cannot afford to let our size and location isolate us in this globalised world. I can assure you that we certainly do not see ourselves as isolated.
This is why it generated a great deal of attention in the Faroes when the Danish Prime Minister Mr. Fogh Andersen in his address at the opening of the session of the Danish Parliament on 1 October 2002 welcomed the desire of the Faroes to be involved, to a greater extent, in foreign and security policy issues.
He stated that the Danish Government is prepared to discuss an arrangement by which the Faroese Government and the Greenland Government will be authorized to act on behalf of the kingdom in international matters that exclusively concern the Faroes and Greenland, respectively.
As such authority is beyond the scope of the present Home Rule Acts, the Danish Government is prepared to implement legislation that will provide the Faroes and Greenland with this authority.
As the Danish Prime Minister also noted, we are facing a new era of autonomy in the Faroes. The time has come for change.
We expect a proposal to be put to the Danish and Faroese parliaments, respectively this autumn and the new legislation should enter into force on the first of January 2005.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Let me also turn briefly to some of the other issues which we see as future challenges.
The cornerstones of our relations with the European Union are the bilateral free trade agreement and the fisheries agreement. Not being a sovereign state and thus not a member of EFTA excludes us from the EEA-agreement. On the other hand we do not want to join the EU as this would mean, among other things giving up national control of our fisheries. My Government’s aim is thus to further develop and strengthen the existing relationship with the EU and eventually extending it into other areas.
The environmental challenges facing us are enormous. Global warming and pollution of the seas are tremendously important issues for a small nation so dependant on marine resources. We therefore want to engage fully in the relevant international and regional bodies, which are seriously trying to address some of the causes of these problems.
A lot of attention has been given to the issue of how to manage fisheries in a responsible and sustainable way.
For obvious reasons, the Faroes have always given this issue a very high priority. Especially managing so-called mixed fisheries can often be a serious challenge. The Faroese days at sea regime has been specifically designed to tackle this difficult task and although there might still be room for improvement, we are proud to note that others are beginning to give the system some of the credit it deserves.
We are very fortunate in the North Atlantic region to have a broad network of bilateral and multilateral agreements as well as regional bodies for cooperation on the conservation and management of living marine resources. Active participation in this North Atlantic network of cooperation is a major priority in Faroese resource management policies today.
The Faroes have not so far had a role or a voice in Danish or international security policy, despite the fact that the Faroes had a most important strategic position during the cold war. The Faroese position is also changing in this area, and the government has recently put forward a proposal for a more active role for the Faroes in security policy and cooperation, which is now under discussion in the Faroese parliament.
Ladies and gentlemen,
To achieve our goals and establish useful contacts and fruitful cooperation abroad, it is most important to have overseas missions. Thus it is not by chance that the Faroese government has chosen London, as one of three places with Faroese representatives, in addition to Brussels and Copenhagen.
I would like to express our great appreciation to the Danish Foreign Office for accommodating the representative of the Faroes here in London, where we can build up relations with important authorities and companies, as well as with the many international organisations based here and in Scotland, not least NEAFC, NASCO OSPAR and IMO. London is a most important place for us to be in, and our staff benefit very much from working in your environment.
On this special occasion to celebrate Faroese identity, I would also like to use this opportunity to extend my warm thanks to our representative John Rajani and his staff, for the excellent work done in such a short space of time to establish a tangible and dynamic presence for the Faroes here in London and the UK.
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
The time has come for change in Faroese foreign policy participation. I hope that this will lead to positive results to our mutual benefit.
Let me end by passing on to you greetings from the newly elected Prime Minister Mr Jóannes Eidesgaard who hopes to be able to visit the UK in a not to distant future.
Please join me now in a toast to friendship, and close and fruitful relations between our respective countries and organisations in the years to come.