The Faroese party Sambandsflokkurrin wants to modernize the commonwealth. The party wants more leeway in the area of foreign policy and overall clearer boundaries for what are Faroese decisions and what are Danish decisions, says the party's chairman Bárður à Steig Nielsen at a conference on Thursday. (Archive photo).
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S), Faroe Islands' Prime Minister Bárður à Steig Nielsen, and the chairwoman of Greenland's government, Múte Bourup Egede, hold a press conference after a meeting in the Contact Committee in Torshavn in the Faroe Islands, on Thursday 9 June 2022. The Contact Committee will particularly focus on the current security policy situation in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. (Photo: Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix) Photo: Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix
Faroe Islanders seek more autonomy
Chairman Bárður à Steig Nielsen of the Faroese Unionist Party calls for a more autonomous structure in the Danish Commonwealth, warning that without change, the current outdated system risks internal fractures. Nielsen advocates for a new self-government law to replace the 1948 Home Rule Act, proposing that the Faroe Islands manage their foreign policy and trade agreements independently of Denmark. The party intends to maintain the Danish Commonwealth’s shared constitution and monarchy, stressing that any decision on Faroese independence should come from the Faroe Islands. Formal discussions are already underway for the islands to have a larger voice in foreign policy, including their own delegation to the WTO.