NordenBladet – The Finance Committee of the Faroese Parliament has, after reviewing a proposed bill from Finance Minister Jørgen Niclasen, stated that they agree with a suggested one-year extension of the current legal requirement that people traveling to the Faroe Islands be tested for Covid-19 upon arrival.
Meanwhile the Finance Committe likewise recommended that arrivals no longer be required to pay for their own tests by September 1st this year.
Travelers are currently required by law to take a Covid-19 test upon arrival and pay for the testing themselves up until April; however, the Ministry of Finance is working to extend the testing period to April 2022.
Since June 27th 2020, everyone coming to the Faroe has been required to get tested for Covid upon arrival.
Initially the testing program was funded by the Faroese government; since October, however, travelers have been required to pay a fee of 312 DKK for the testing.
Vaccinated persons are not exempt from the testing, unlike children below the age of 12, who are indeed exempt from the requirement, although since March they have been offered a free test.
NordenBladet – Earlier this month, electrical engineering firm JT Electric completed the latest installation of their 5.6-kilometer sea cable to a Bakkafrost fish farming site in the Faroe Islands. The cable provides power from Bakkafrost’s hatchery at Strond near Klaksvík to the remote fish farm off Skálatoftir, making it the longest cable of its kind in the Faroe Islands.
The installation is part of a Bakkafrost-driven transition to provide more sustainable power consumption. The majority of the Bakkafrost feeding barges in the Faroe Islands are powered by sea cables from land, organized and installed by JT Electric throughout the islands. As for the remaining barges still fueled by diesel, these are in the process of being shifted to electric power by cable.
“Our goal is to reduce our CO2 emissions by 50 percent by 2030,” said Jón Purkhús, farming manager for Bakkafrost North. “By using sea cables to supply our feeding barges with electricity from land we are reducing oil usage and thereby significantly reducing emissions from our fish farms.”
Designed by JT Electric and their cable partner, the unique 5.6 km sea cable is fitted with fiber inside. Installing the fiber connection along with the power supply has ensured that the site has a fast and safe link to the equipment onboard the feeding barge.
“All operations are undertaken remotely from the land based feeding central, therefore this smooth connection is essential,” JT Electic’s operational manager Leivur Hansen said. “This has been an exciting project for us,” he added. “The long distance made it necessary to use high-voltage electricity to effectively deliver power via the sea cable to the feeding barge. This challenge was solved in close collaboration with Faroese utility SEV.”
NordenBladet – With more than 84 percent of the nation’s working-age population part of the labor force, the population of the Faroe Islands still has the highest activity rate in Europe. According to a recent labor force survey published by Statistics Faroe Islands, the activity rate in the island nation is measured at 84.3 percent averaged over both sexes, or 86.1 pc. for men and 82.4 pc. for women.
The international measurement of the labor force in percentage of the working-age population counts the section of the population aged between 15 and 74 who are capable of participating in work, Statistics Faroe Islands noted.
“This is the highest activity rate in Europe, and this applies to men, women, young and old alike,” the government agency said in a statement.
The Faroese labor force has increased by just over 2,000 people in the past five years, spread evenly across the two genders, with the labor force also slightly increasing in 2020.
These are some of the key findings of the labour force survey conducted by Statistics Faroe Islands in November 2020. A detailed report with analysed figures can be found in the Statbank, the online statistical resource provided by the agency.
According the survey, the Vágar region has the highest activity rate for men, at 89 percent, and Sandoy the lowest, at 75 pc. For women, the Suðurstreymur and Norðstreymur regions have the highest activity rate, at 84 pc., and Sandoy the lowest, at 78 pc.
“In comparison, the average activity rate in Denmark and the United Kingdom is approximately 70 percent,” Statics Faroes said.
“As previous labor force surveys have also shown, the Faroe Islands are again confirmed to have the biggest labor force in Europe relative to the population. Only Iceland comes close in this respect.”
Included in the labor force are all employed individuals, including employees, independent traders, employers, unemployed people available for work and individuals who carry out unpaid work for family businesses. Not included in the labor force are young full-time students, people unavailable for work due to disease or reduced ability and people who have left the labor market due to age or other limitations. In statistical terms, these groups are classified as being part of the inactive population.
The chart below, compiled by Eurostat, compares the Faroe Islands with 35 other European nations.
With an 84-percent activity rate averaged over both sexes, the Faroe Islands are in the lead, followed by Iceland, at 81 pc., Switzerland at 76 pc., and Sweden at 74 pc.
Whereas the average activity rate for the 27 EU member nations (excluding the UK) is 64 pc., the European nations with the lowest activity rate are Turkey and Italy, at 53 pc. and 56 pc. respectively.
For men, the Faroe Islands lead the way with an activity rate of 86 pc., followed by Iceland at 85 pc. In Denmark, the corresponding figure is 74 pc. The EU average is 70 pc., with the lowest activity rate for men in Croatia, Belgium, France and Italy, all within the 64-66 pc. range.
At 82 pc., Faroese women have by far the highest activity rate in Europe, with Iceland taking second place at 77 pc. Denmark’s activity rate for women is at 66 pc., compared with an EU average of 58 pc. Turkish women have the lowest activity rate at 34 pc., followed by Italy’s 47 pc.
In all countries except for the Faroe Islands, the activity rates for women are significantly lower compared to men. In the Faroe Islands, the difference is only 4 pc. In Iceland and Denmark, it’s 8 pc., and the average difference in the EU is 12 pc. By far the greatest activity rate difference between the two sexes is in Turkey, with 72 pc. for men and 34 pc. for women.
NordenBladet – Faroese-Canadian singer-songwriter Lena Anderssen claimed an award at the JPF Music Awards in Los Angeles, with her 2012 album Letters From the Faroes earning the Album of the Year title.
JPF is short for Just Plain Folks, a grassroots music organization founded by Brian Whitney. With over 50,000 members in over 160 countries worldwide, the JPF’s membership represents recording artists, songwriters and music industry professionals of all levels from those just starting out to winners of every major music award and all hall of fame for music around the world.
“It’s a real honor to have this 2012 album receiving that special award from this beautiful grassroots music organization,” Anderssen noted. “I am humbled to know that the music has been evaluated by fellow artists, songwriters, musicians and music lovers from all around the world.”
The JPF Music Awards is not an annual event. The organization holds an awards show every few years, which is why Lena Anderssen’s album from 2012 was in the running for the prizes awarded in December 2020.
According to Just Plain Folks, the 2020 nominees were found after screening 17,700 albums and 240,000+ songs over 18 months, five rounds of judging between 4,203 judges along with a final nomination round.
NordenBladet – The Faroe Islands’ biggest film production ever will feature high profile names in film. Actors Ulrich Thomsen (The New Pope, 2020; Blacklist, 2016), Maria Rich (Follow The Money, 2018) and Olaf Johannesen (The Bridge, 2015) will star in the crime/drama series called TROM, adapted from the bestselling book-series by award-winning Faroese author, Jógvan Isaksen. TROM is the first series to be produced in the Faroe Islands.
The six-part series is created and co-written by Torfinnur Jákupsson from the Faroe Islands. He has been a fan of the actors for years.
“Having such well known and gifted actors in the series is a life-long dream come true,” says Torfinnur. “Everything just seems that much bigger with them on board.”
TROM follows journalist Hannis Martinsson (Ulrich Thomsen), who unexpectedly receives a message from Sonja, his estranged daughter, claiming that her life is in danger. Reluctantly returning home to the Faroes to investigate, Hannis discovers Sonja’s body in the aftermath of a whale hunt. His search for answers soon brings him into conflict with the local police and uncovers a web of secrets in the close-knit community – but how far is he willing to go to learn the truth?
Shooting will start in March and will last for around three months. Covid has impacted the production of TROM in the same way all film and television productions in the world have been affected.
“Producing film is a puzzle, and Covid has, of course, affected how that puzzle has been put together,” says Torfinnur. “All health guidelines are being followed and will be respected.”
TROM is produced by REinvent Studios in co-production with Kyk Pictures, Truenorth and ZDF/ARTE.
Helene Aurø, Sales and Marketing Director at REinvent International Sales, says: “TROM will travel far and has already caught the attention of several international buyers. ZDF ARTE came on board after the first pitch. I have very high expectations for the series, which I am sure will position itself among the most popular Nordic series ever produced.
TROM will air as a Viaplay original series, the Nordic region’s leading streaming company, in 2022.
NordenBladet – Eleven Faroese businesses have agreed to work together on creating a joint sustainability strategy. The purpose of the business-led initiative is to provide a platform which supports the business sector to transition to a sustainable economy.
The three-year trail project, titled “Burðardygt Vinnulív” (also referred to as the Faroese Sustainable Business Initiative), aims to advance sustainable business practice and contribute towards UN Sustainable Development Goals such as climate action.
Regin Jacobsen, CEO of founding member company Bakkafrost, says: “We are excited about the possibilities that lay ahead. Although we are a diverse group of companies, we do share certain sustainability challenges in common and we are all committed to addressing these. We hope this initiative will create meaningful collaboration opportunities between us which will accelerate our progress on these issues.”
Marita Rasmussen, Director of The Faroese Employers Association, says: “We are very much looking forward to following the progress of this initiative. Faroese businesses should be thinking about the fast-changing social, environmental and economic context they are operating in. This initiative could be a catalyst for them to become fit for the future.”
By advancing their management approach to key sustainability risks and opportunities together, the members aim to improve their response and advance progress to issues such as climate change, collaboratively. Later this year, the network of businesses will announce a joint plan focussed on three key issues.
The eleven founding member businesses are: Bakkafrost (salmon aquaculture), Betri Bank (bank), Effo (fuel), Faroe Ship (logistic and transport), Føroya Tele (telecom), JT Electric (marine equipment), KJ Hydraulik (maritime services), MBM (dairy producer), Poul Michelsen (wholesale), SMJ (engineering consultant) and Vónin (marine equipment).
Other countries have similar networks, including Skift Norge in Norway whose mission is to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy and support the Norwegian government in delivering on its national climate commitments by 2030.
NordenBladet – With 14 awards were on the for line this year’s Faroese Music Awards on March 8th, Saturday’s big winner was Eivør who claimed four awards.
Not unlike last year’s FMA show, the event had to be handled somewhat differently due to the ongoing public health concerns, this time around with government-owned broadcaster KvF as main sponsor.
Apart from winning an award for ‘Female Singer of the Year’, ‘Album Cover of the Year’ for her album Segl, and ‘Music Video of the Year’ for “Sleep On It”, the lyrics to her song “Mánasegl”, written by author Marjun Syderbø Kjelnæs, were also named ‘Lyrics of the Year’.
Below is the full list of this year’s FMA winners.
Pop/Rock Category:
• Female Singer of the Year: Eivør
• Male Singer of the Year: Teitur
• Album of the Year: Modern Era — Teitur
• Song of the Year: Kanska — Einangran
Open Category:
• Singer or Solo Artist of the Year: Jákup Lützen
• Album or Concert of the Year: Kata — 1902
• Composition of the Year: Bei — performed by Konsørn, composed by Jan Rúni Poulsen and Mathias Kapnas
• New Name of the Year: Brimheim
• Music Video of the Year: Sleep On It — performed by Eivør, video by Einar Egils & Elias K. Hansen
• Album Cover of the Year: Segl — Eivør
• Lyrics of the Year: Mánasegl — written by Marjun Syderbø Kjelnæs, performed Eivør
• Producer of the Year: Høgni Lisberg
• Listener Award: Hallur Joensen
• Special Honor: Robert McBirnie
NordenBladet – For years, the music of Høgni Lisberg a.k.a. Hogni, has been featured in TV shows, video games and ads all over the world. The musician, songwriter and composer from Leirvík — famous for hits like “Bow Down (To No Man)”, “Big Personality”, and “Soul Company” — has decided to use his own experience to help other artists get their music out there through his own music publishing company.
Mahogni Music Publishing, founded in 2019, is the first dedicated music publishing company in the Faroe Islands.
Said Lisberg in an interview with music promotion agency Faroe Music Export — fmx.fo: “After having many successes with my own music being placed in TV shows and ads all over the world for more than a decade, I was overwhelmed with the feeling that ‘If my music works for this type of work, the music of other Faroese artists will work too’. I firmly believe there is a market for the music from the Faroe Islands.”
He added: “20 years ago it was not common to think that a Faroese artist could make it on the international scene. Today there is no doubt that this is possible”.
Mahogni Music Publishing has already secured TV spots for artists like Elinborg and Jógvan, who’ve both had their music featured on Norwegian television.
Other Faroese artists who’ve signed up with the company, according to public broadcaster KvF, include Lea Kampmann, Marius Ziska, Son of Fortune, and Sakaris.
NordenBladet – A major arts and cultural venue that is currently being developed for the town of Klaksvík will open its doors in the summer of 2022, according to local authorities.
Designed by Ósbjørn Jacobsen Architects, a Faroe Islands partner in Denmark’s world-renowned Henning Larsen Architects, the multi-function ‘Cultural House’ is based on a remodeling and expansion of an existing building in downtown Klaksvík that used to serve as local post office. The original structure was built in the 1960s, and expansion work for the new venue began in early 2020.
Despite some minor hiccups due to the ongoing health crisis as well as cold winter climate, the Cultural House is still expected to be completed on time and on budget, at an estimate total cost of 60 million DKK (8M EUR).
According to Dávur Winther, head of Municipality of Klaksvík’s office of cultural affairs, the building process is expected to become smoother now that the local branch of postal service Posta has vacated the premises.
Mr. Winther cautioned, however, that uncertainties are part and parcel of the process.
“We’ve only been working on the building for little more than half a year so we’ve still got another year-and-a-half to go,” he told news daily Portal.fo, adding that the workers will hopefully be able to catch up on any lost time, as there have only been minor disruptions.
“At one point, the construction site was turned into a quarantine site, as we had workers coming in from Romania. They were the only crew there at the time, although none of them were infected. But they were required to quarantine, so the decision was made to turn it into a place for quarantine. For the same reason, the work force was likewise affected around the Christmas holiday season.”
Once completed, the new arts and cultural venue will feature a large hall for theatre performances with an audience capacity of 380 seated. The hall can also be fitted with smaller tables for receptions or parties with the capacity to host up to 400 guests standing.
Intended to host a variety of arts and cultural events as well as conferences, seminars and more, the Cultural House will also include a designated café area.
NordenBladet – Føroya Bjór, one of the Faroe Islands’ oldest distilleries, can now add whisky to its growing list of products. 861 bottles of Føroya Bjór’s inaugural single malt whisky, called Einar’s Whisky, were made available for purchase in November last year. All bottles sold out in one day.
“We knew the quality of the whisky was good, but we had no idea that the interest would be so big,” says Einar Waag, CEO of Føroya Bjór.
Whisky guru and founder of the internationally acclaimed Whisky Bible, Jim Murray, agrees with Einar about the quality of the Faroe Islands’ first whisky. He gave Einar’s Whisky 89 out of 100 possible points and highlighted the overall quality, particularly considering the whisky’s young age.
In a letter to local media company Norðlýsið, Jim says: “Hugely impressed. If only more whiskies in Scotland were of this quality! Hearty congratulations on out-Scottishing the Scots!”
The whisky, which was three years old when bottled, was stored in sherry and bourbon casks at Føroya Bjór’s headquarters in the islands’ second largest city, Klaksvík. The bottles are 500ml and abv 51%.
Theis Herdalur, store manager at the Rúsdrekkasøla Landsins, the national alcoholic beverage retailing monopoly of the Faroe Islands, is pleased to offer customers a new product.
“Føroya Bjór are whisky pioneers in the Faroe Islands, and we’re excited to sell this new and exciting product,” he says.
Each bottle of Einar’s Whisky was sold for approximately DKK1100. A new batch is scheduled for release later in 2021.
More whisky on the way
Føroya Bjór will soon face competition from Faer Isles Whisky, a new company who plan on building a new whisky and gin distillery in the village of Kvívík. Faer Islas Whisky’s ambition is to produce 800 to 1,000 barrels of whisky, equating to approximately 500,000 bottles, with 90 to 95 percent being exported. Faer Isles Whisky is funded by whisky enthusiasts worldwide, with founding members coming from 22 countries. From February 2021, the company will invite people to buy shares via their community funding round.
