New external opinion for the governor

The Ministry of Justice has been working on a new rural opinion for the past year. Today, the officials who have been in charge of the work handed over the new opinion to the Governor, which concerns Fugloy, Svínoy, Kalsoy, Mykines, Hest, Koltur, Skúvoy and Stóra Dímun. The opinion proposes that the political system set six objectives for the outlying islands. First, an overarching objective to formulate a future vision with broader political agreement on the role of the outlying islands in Faroese society in the coming decades. Only now can it be decided to what extent the outlying islands should be able to accommodate permanent residents, holiday homes, tourism, agriculture or a mixture of all these. In addition to the overall objective, there are five objectives for each of the core areas of transport, housing, infrastructure, health services and employment opportunities.

The opinion also describes in more detail the most important challenges and development opportunities in the Faroese outlying islands. Across all topics, a common and fundamental problem is evident: the limited transport opportunities between the mainland and the outlying islands, which often make it difficult for outlying residents to access services, have a job, go to school or participate in society in a satisfactory way. This also affects well-being, health services and business development. If transport does not improve, it will be difficult for other aspects to develop significantly.

Most of the challenges on the outlying islands can be solved, but it requires that the political system prioritizes this financially. The outlying areas must be seen as a social investment rather than an expense. The outlying islands can become an important social and cultural resource that we have a duty to maintain, both for social, environmental and socio-economic reasons.

Click on the link below to read the opinion.

Rural Opinion 2025.