News

Bráðabirgðafríverslunarsamningur við Bretland undirritaður

Íslensk og bresk stjórnvöld undirrituðu í dag bráðabirgðafríverslunarsamning sem tryggir óbreytt tollkjör vegna vöruviðskipta við Bretland. Samningurinn mun taka gildi um áramót þegar aðlögunartímabili vegna útgöngu Bretlands úr Evrópusambandinu lýkur. Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, utanríkis- og þróunarsamvinnuráðherra, segir fagnaðarefni að kjarnahagsmunir íslenskra fyrirtækja hafi nú verið tryggðir.

Nordic Economic Outlook 2020

The Nordic Economic Outlook 2020, an annual report on the economic development in the Nordic Countries in terms of growth, business cycles and public finance has been published by the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Ástandið í S-Kákasus, Hvíta-Rússlandi og Úkraínu efst á baugi ÖSE-fundar

Annasöm formennska hjá fastanefnd í Vínarborg

Prime Minister of Iceland addresses UNESCO High-Level Round Table on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Katrín Jakobsdóttir, prime minister of Iceland, addressed a UNESCO high-level round table on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women on the 25th of November.

Alþjóðadagur í þágu útrýmingar ofbeldis gagnvart konum

Alþjóða- og öryggismál í brennidepli

Tvíhliða samráð íslenskra og breskra stjórnvalda fór fram í vikunni.

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Iceland‘s National Plan on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions made available to ESA

The Ministry for the Environment and Natural Resources has made available to The EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) Iceland‘s Nation Plan, which describes how Iceland intends to fulfil the commitments of reducing greenhouse gas emissions jointly with the European Union and Norway in accordance with the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

Border measures to be reviewed by 15 January

The Icelandic Government has announced that current border measures to limit the influx of COVID-19 infections will remain mostly unchanged until 1 February next year. As of 10 December, arriving passengers who have already recovered from a COVID-19 infection will exempt from border measures if they can provide proof of prior infection.…

Resilience: strengthening Iceland’s foothold – Resilience subsidies and support for job-seekers, old-age pensioners, families with children, and vulnerable groups

The Government has decided to pay a special supplement over and above basic unemployment benefits next year, so as to support the large group of people whose income-linked unemployment benefits will expire in the next few months. The 2.5% supplement will be paid in addition to the 3.6% increase provided for in the 2021 fiscal budget proposal.…

COVID 19: Screening at the border temporarily free of charge

The Minister of Health has decided that testing of travellers for COVID-19 at Iceland’s borders is to be free of charge, on a temporary basis, from 1 December 2020 until 31 January 2021. This is in line with recommendations from the Chief Epidemiologist.…

Iceland 'A/A-1' Ratings Affirmed; Outlook Stable

International rating agency S&P Global Ratings has affirmed Iceland’s sovereign ratings at A/A-1 with a stable outlook.

COVID-19: Relaxation of restrictions on gatherings take effect on 18 November

The Minister of Health has approved recommendations by the Chief Epidemiologist for a cautious relaxation of some of the restrictions on gatherings in response to the spread of COVID-19. The changes involved will take effect on 18 November 2020.…

Katrín Jakobsdóttir hosts the Council of Women World Leader's Annual Meeting

On November 9, 2020 H.E. Katrín Jakobsdóttir, the Prime Minister of Iceland and Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders, gathered current and former women presidents and prime ministers for the Council’s annual meeting

Virtual Meeting of the UNESCO Gender Equality Group of Friends in October

The UNESCO Group of Friends for Gender Equality met virtually on 29 October 2020. The meeting was co-chaired by Ambassador Unnur Orradóttir-Ramette, Permanent Delegate of Iceland.

ÖSE-skýrsla um mannréttindabrot í Hvíta-Rússlandi lögð fram.

ÖSE-skýrsla um mannréttindabrot í Hvíta-Rússlandi lögð fram.

Ísland hvatti í dag yfirvöld í Hvíta-Rússlandi til að fara að tillögum í nýrri ÖSE-skýrslu um mannréttindabrot þar í landi.

COVID-19: Restrictions applying in schools and universities as from 3 November 2020

A new regulation from the Minister of Health laying down restrictions in schools and universities as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic takes effect as from 3 November 2020. The aim is to interfere as little as possible with educational work, and that activities in pre-schools and the early years of compulsory schooling should proceed in full.…

Progress of the plan for removal of Capital Controls

The Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs today published a report on the progress of plans to remove restrictions on cross-border capital movements and foreign currency trading. The minister shall make a report on the progress public at six-month intervals until such restrictions are finally removed.

Stricter anti-COVID-19 measures taking effect as from 31 October 2020

The Minister of Health has approved proposals from the Chief Epidemiologist regarding tighter measures to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, which take effect on Saturday, 31 October 2020. The same rules will apply throughout Iceland. The main change introduced now is that the maximum size of gatherings is reduced from 20 to 10 persons. All sporting activities and stage performances are suspended.…

Icelandic measures for remote workers put in place

The Minister of Tourism, Industry, and Innovation, the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs have put in place measures to enable non-EEA foreign nationals to reside in Iceland for up to six months and telework for foreign companies.…

Fitch Ratings Affirms Iceland´s ratings at A, outlook negative

Fitch Ratings has affirmed Iceland’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency (LTFC) Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at ‘A’ with a negative outlook.

Iceland no longer on FATF grey list

At its Annual General Meeting the International Financial Action Task Force on Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (FATF) has today decided that Iceland will be removed from the list of countries with inadequate protection against money laundering and terrorist financing, commonly referred to as the ‘grey list’.

Fastanefnd Íslands í Vín verður lokuð 26. október 2020.

Minister calls for quick move towards carbon neutrality

Gudmundur Ingi Gudbrandsson, Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources, was among the panellists in Climate Action‘s virtual panel: Leading the way to carbon neutrality: The Nordics.

Nordic ministers call for a new global agreement against plastic pollution in the oceans

The Nordic Council of Ministers for the Environment introduced possible approaches to a new global agreement to prevent plastic pollution at their meeting Monday, during which a new Nordic report on the matter was launched.

COVID-19: Restrictions on sizes of gatherings and certain school activities applying from 20 October 2020

New regulations have taken effect laying down restrictions on the size of gatherings and certain school activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The regulations will remain in force until 10 November (inclusive), with the exception of interim provisions applying to the metropolitan area, which will apply until 3 November 2020.…

Iceland's first film policy is born

The Icelandic Ministry of Education, Science and Culture has published the first comprehensive policy on film industry and film culture.

Global inter-faith collaboration for nature

Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson, the Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources, emphasized that the world needs to face global environmental challenges united, in his address at the international Faith for Nature conference held in Skálholt, Iceland last week.

Eight stability measures

Following discussions with employer and employee unions, the Government presented a package of eight measures designed to promote social and economic stability in accordance with Living Standards Agreement from autumn of last year.

Ísland aðili að samevrópskum yfirlýsingum á vettvangi ÖSE

Síðustu daga hefur Ísland gerst aðili að nokkrum mikilvægum samevrópskum yfirlýsingum á vettvangi fastaráðs Öryggis- og samvinnustofnunar Evrópu (ÖSE) og lýst stuðningi við aðild Kýpur að samningnum um opna lofthelgi á endurskoðunarráðstefnu samningsins.

Double screening until December

The current procedure of double screening for covid-19 at the border for all passengers arriving in Iceland is planned to remain in place until 1 December, unless circumstances warrant earlier easing.

COVID-19: Stricter rules to combat infection in the metropolitan area

The Minister of Health has accepted the recommendations of the Chief Epidemiologist for stricter limits on the size of gatherings in the metropolitan area. These take effect on 7 October 2020. The restrictions announced on 5 October remain unchanged in other parts of the country. The restrictions announced here will remain in force until 19 October.

Íslendingar í Bretlandi hvattir til að tryggja rétt sinn til búsetu fyrir áramót

Mikilvægt er að íslenskir ríkisborgarar sem búa í Bretlandi og hyggjast dveljast þar áfram eftir 31. desember 2020 sæki um ,,settled“ eða ,,pre-settled status“ fyrir lok þessa árs.

Iceland welcomes Syrian families from Lesbos

The Government of Iceland has agreed to receive refugees from the Greek island of Lesbos, with emphasis on vulnerable Syrian families. These families previously lived in the Moria refugee camp, which was destroyed by fire earlier this month.

COVID-19: Changes to the rules on gathering sizes and schools

New regulations setting out stricter measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 have been approved by the Minister of Health and took effect at midnight on 4 October 2020. With certain exceptions, the size of gatherings is now restricted to 20 persons. Here follows a summary of the main changes. ​

Icelandic Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources address UN Summit on Biodiversity

Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson, the Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources, emphasized ecosystem protection and restoration in his address at the United Nations Summit on Biodiversity held in connection with the 75. UN General Assembly on Wednesday, 30 September 2020.

Prime Minister of Iceland addresses Beijing 25th anniversary meeting

Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland, addresses today the high-level meeting of the General Assembly to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW), which took place in Beijing, China in September 1995.

Prime Minister Statement at the High Level Meeting of the General Assembly on Beijing+25

Foreign Minister of Iceland addressed the UN General Assembly

Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation of Iceland, stressed the importance of safeguarding and strengthening multilateral cooperation in his annual address to the United Nations General Assembly earlier this week.

Prime Minister of Iceland addresses 25th anniversary meeting of the Beijing Women’s Conference

Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland, addresses today the high-level meeting of the General Assembly to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW), which took place in Beijing, China in September 1995.

Prime Minister of Iceland addresses 25th anniversary meeting of the Beijing Women’s Conference

Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland, addresses today the high-level meeting of the General Assembly to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW), which took place in Beijing, China in September 1995.

Mitigating measures protect living standards and boost resilience

The Government will continue to use fiscal policy as a powerful tool to protect jobs and provide resilience. According to the fiscal budget proposal for 2021, introduced before Parliament today alongside the fiscal plan for 2021-2025, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Treasury is estimated to be negative in the amount of ISK 192bn next year.…

The world after COVID-19

Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland, discussed the challenges facing the planet following the COVID-19 pandemic, at an international symposium hosted by the Icelandic committee for the future this morning.

Science and Technology Policy 2020–2022

In 2030, Iceland will be a diverse society characterised by welfare, security and equal opportunities. Iceland will be among leading countries when comparing quality of life, happiness and democracy. Emphasis will be placed on the quality of education, everyone's access to it and an education system that is constantly evolving in step with the society and the future.

Þrettán þúsund hafa sótt bókmenntavefviðburð

Sendiskrifstofur Íslands í enskumælandi ríkjum stóðu í síðustu viku fyrir sameiginlegum bókmenntaviðburði sem streymt var beint á vef frá fjórum mismunandi stöðum í heiminum.

Declaration of Intent on Funds for the Maintenance of Sustainable Development

Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland, together with parties constituting the majority of the Icelandic financial market have signed a declaration of intent on the use of funds to maintain sustainable development while bearing in mind Iceland's international obligations and the standards set by the Icelandic government.

What will the future look like beyond COVID-19?

The Prime Minister of Iceland opens an international, online symposium on changes, challenges and opportunities in various areas of society following the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday 30 September.

COVID-19: Seating requirement in all licensed premises

The Minister of Health has approved a proposal from the Chief Epidemiologist obliging all premises with alcoholic beverage licences to provide seats for all guests, and guests normally to be seated as is the case in restaurants and cafes.…