News

End of Iceland’s Presidency of the Council of Europe

The Reykjavík Summit of the Council of Europe last week marked the end of Iceland’s Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Latvia has now taken over the Presidency.

Iceland becomes a member of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence

On May 16th, Iceland became a formal member of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) in Tallinn, Estonia. The Centre focuses on education, publication, research, and analysis in the areas of cyber defence and cyber security. Iceland’s flag was raised formally at the CCDCOE and Harald Aspelund, Iceland's Ambassador to Estonia delivered a speech during the ceremony.

Accountability for Ukraine and democracy top agenda of the Reykjavík Summit ​

Today, the Reykjavík Summit, the 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe member States, concluded with important decisions in support of Ukraine and the core values of the Council of Europe of human rights, democracy and rule of law.

Reykjavik Declaration of the Council of Europe Summit

The Reykjavík Summit has now formally closed. The main outcome document of the Summit, the Reykjavík Declaration is available here.

Reykjavik Summit of the Council of Europe has started ​

Accountability for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the promotion and protection of the core values of the Council of Europe are the main topics of the Summit of the Council of Europe, which started today in Reykjavik.…

RAF conducts air policing for Iceland

In conjunction with the Council of Europe Summit to be held in Reykjavik from 16 -17 May, the Royal Air Force will conduct air policing for Iceland.

S&P Global Ratings Revises Iceland‘s Outlook to Positive; Affirms at 'A/A-1'

According to S&P, strong ongoing economic recovery from pandemic fallout, alongside continued fiscal consolidation over the next few years, will improve Iceland's public finances beyond S&P‘s previous expectations.

Reykjavik Summit of the Council of Europe 16-17 May​

The fourth Summit of the Council of Europe takes place in Reykjavík next week. On the meeting’s agenda is the establishment of a Register to record the damage caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and to reaffirm the importance of the core values of the Council of Europe. Careful preparations are in place for the meeting and disruptions of traffic can be expected while it is ongoing.

Iceland in Fifth Place on ILGA‘s Rainbow Map and First Place on the Transgender Europe Map

Iceland holds the 5th place on ILGA‘s Rainbow Map and the first place on the Transgender Europe Map. The results were presented today at the annual IDAHOT+ Forum hosted by Iceland, taking place in Harpa.

International Wellbeing and Sustainability Forum held in Reykjavík 14-15th June

The Prime Minister's Office in cooperation with the Directorate of Health and the City of Reykjavík are organizing an International Wellbeing and Sustainability Forum in Harpa in Reykjavík on the 14-15th of June.

Co-creating for a better future: Conference in Iceland on June 1st 2023

During Iceland's chairmanship in the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour in Iceland organizes a conference in Reykjavik on June 1st 2023. The name of the conference is “Co-creating a better future”.

Response to MAST Report on Monitoring of Whaling in 2022

In August 2022, Iceland‘s Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Ms. Svandís Svavarsdóttir, issued a regulation requiring the Food and Veterinary Authority (MAST) to carry out regular inspections of whaling hunts. The purpose of the inspection was to promote improved animal welfare during whaling.

Supreme Allied Commander Europe visits Iceland

Christopher G. Cavoli, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is making a short visit to Iceland. Today he met with Minister for Foreign Affairs Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir and received a tour of Keflavik Air Base.

Exercise Dynamic Mongoose concludes with a port visit in Reykjavík

Five ships from Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 have arrived in Reykjavík for a short port visit as they conclude their participation in the annual NATO-led Anti-Submarine Warfare exercise Dynamic Mongoose.

Joint Iceland-Sweden team wins NATO’s largest cyber defence exercise

The joint team of Sweden and Iceland won the cyber defence exercise Locked Shields which took place last month. The exercise is organized annually by NATOs Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) in Tallinn, Estonia and this was the first time that Iceland participates.

Updated Sovereign Sustainable Financing Framework and an Annex on Financing for Gender Equality

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs has issued an updated Sovereign Sustainable Financing Framework, but the original framework was issued in September 2021.

First service stop by a US Navy submarine in Icelandic territorial waters

The American nuclear-powered submarine USS San Juan visited Iceland today for a brief service stop in the waters outside of Garðskagi, southwest Iceland.

Exercise Dynamic Mongoose taking place in the North Atlantic

Eleven Allied nations are set to take a part in Dynamic Mongoose 2023, a large-scale Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) exercise in the North Atlantic from April 24 to May 5. Iceland is the primary host nation for the exercise this year.

Annual Strategic Dialogue between the US and Iceland

The annual Strategic Dialogue between Iceland and the United States took place in Washington, Friday, April 21.

Service visits of US submarines authorised

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland has informed the Government of the United States that nuclear-powered submarines of the US Navy will be authorised to make a brief service visit in Iceland to receive supplies and exchange crew members.…

Medium-term Fiscal Strategy Plan 2024-2028: to counter inflation, safeguard living standards and support growth

he government's fiscal strategy plan for the next five years lays out its strategy to utilise fiscal policy in a targeted manner to counter inflation and overheating by increasing expenditure restraint and revenue generation and postponing public investments.

Investing in Children – the Key to Prosperity

Ásmundur Einar Daðason, Minister of Education and Children in Iceland, and the Council of Europe will host a conference on March 30 on the advantages of investing in children. The event is organized as part of the Icelandic Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

Iceland hosts first ever CDENF meeting outside of Strasbourg

The Ministry of Education and Children in Iceland hosts a meeting for the Council of Europe Steering Committee for the Rights of the Child (CDENF) in Reykjavik, Iceland on March 28 and 29. The event is organized as part of the Icelandic Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

Prime Minister and the Minister for Foreign Affairs visited Ukraine and met with Volodomyr Zelensky

Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir and Minister for Foreign Affairs Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir met with President of Ukraine Volodomyr Zelensky in Kyiv yesterday.

Head start for Icelandic

Icelandic was chosen as the first language, other than English, to feature in the development phase of the latest version of OpenAI's GPT-4 project, which was officially announced today.

Fitch Affirms Iceland at ‘A’; Outlook Stable

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

Minister for Foreign Affairs addressed the United Nations Human Rights Council

Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir Minister for Foreign Affairs addressed the beginning of the 52nd regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on behalf of Iceland today.

Brutal aggression against Ukraine – One Year On

Today, the 24th of February, marks one year since the launch of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine. On this occasion, the international community has come together to show solidarity and support for the Ukrainian people.

Nýr móttökufulltrúi hefur störf í sendiráðinu

Iceland ratifies the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education

On December 5, 2022, Iceland and Andorra ratified the UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education, thus becoming the 19th and 20th UNESCO Member States to do so.…

​Medium-Term Debt Management Strategy 2023-2027

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs has published Medium-Term Debt Management Strategy for the period 2023-2027. The MTDMS is presented on the basis of the fiscal plan, in accordance with Article 38 of the Act on Public Finances, no. 123/2015, and is to be presented annually.

EUIPO’s Grand Board rules in favour of Iceland

The European Union Intellectual Property Office’s Grand Board of Appeal has rejected all of the requests of the British retail chain Iceland Foods Ltd regarding the use of the word mark Iceland. The company can no longer stop Icelandic enterprises from identifying themselves with their country of origin when marketing their goods and services in the EEA area.

Iceland’s 6th periodic report under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Nine tons of Icelandic warmth headed for Ukraine

Nine tons of Icelandic warmth were aboard a Canadian military transport aircraft that left Keflavik Airport headed for Ukraine today. The cargo consists of winter equipment for the armed forces and the people of Ukraine.…

Opening of an Icelandic Embassy in Warsaw

Iceland opened a new embassy today in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland, attended a reception held at the premises of the embassy on this occasion.

Human Rights Council adopts resolution on the human rights situation in Iran

Today, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution tabled by Iceland and Germany to set up an international independent fact-finding mission to investigate ongoing human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran related to the protests happening since 16 September 2022.

Better Access and More Efficient Processing of Official Documents Priorities for International Specialists in Iceland

Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, hosted a workshop earlier this week where attendees discussed opportunities for improvements to the regime of work permits for international specialists in Iceland.

Joint Statement by the Ministers of Defence of the Northern Group

Today, representatives of the Northern Group – comprising Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom - met in Oslo on board the UK aircraft carrier, HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, and gave the following statement:

Joint statement by the Ministers of Defence of NORDEFCO

The Nordic Ministers of Defence and representatives met in Oslo today to discuss the grave security situation in Europe, the war in Ukraine, Nordic defence cooperation and the incoming Finnish and Swedish memberships of NATO.

Memorandum on the HF Fund’s issues and the Icelandic State’s guarantee

Joint statement by JEF Defence Ministers

Defence Ministers of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) met in Edinburgh on 9-10 November. During the Ministerial, the security situation in Europe, support to Ukraine and collective approaches to security in the region was discussed. The Permanent Secretary of State, Martin Eyjólfsson, attended the Defence Ministerial on behalf of the Foreign Minister.…

Financing for Gender Equality

Today the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs met with Ms. Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, who is in Iceland for the Reykjavík Global Forum – Women Leaders. The Minister and the Executive Director discussed their shared commitment to financing for gender equality and the role that sovereigns play in this endeavour as well as opportunities to amplify the capital markets’ role.

Iceland takes over the Presidency of the Council of Europe

Iceland took formally over the Presidency of the Council of Europe from Ireland today at a meeting of the Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg.

Open presentation on grants from the Development Fund for Immigration Issues

On Friday, 11 November, the Immigration Council will host an open presentation on the Development Fund for Immigration Issues and the application process,

Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe held in Iceland

The fourth Summit in the history of the Council of Europe will be held in Iceland on May 16-17, 2023. The Prime Minister of Iceland and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ireland today announced the official decision by the Council of Europe to convene a Summit under Iceland’s Presidency. The Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland will host the Summit.

Iceland’s Presidency in the Nordic Council of Ministers 2023

Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir has presented the programme for the Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers for 2023. The Prime Minister presented the one-year Presidency programme to the Session of the Nordic Council that took place in Helsinki this week. Iceland will take over the Presidency from Norway on 1 January 2023.

Sjálfbær leiðangursferðamennska á norðurslóðum; Hvað, hvers vegna og hvernig?

Hin árlega Norðurslóðahátíð, Arktisk Festival fer fram á Norðurbryggju dagana 5. - 6. nóvember n.k.

Hittumst á ísbreiðunni - Norðurslóðahátíðin 2022

Hin árlega Norðurslóðahátíð, Arktisk Festival fer fram á Norðurbryggju dagana 5. - 6. nóvember n.k. Að því tilefni fær sendiráðið Vilborgu Örnu Gissurardóttur og Einar Torfa Finnsson í heimsókn þar sem þau munu segja frá ferðalagi sínu yfir Grænlandsjökul, en bæði þveruðu þau jökulinn og mættust á miðri leið á vormánuðum.

Afhending trúnaðarbréfs og opinber heimsókn forseta til Slóvakíu

Kristín A. Árnadóttir sendiherra afhenti þann 24. október 2022 Zuzana Čaputová, forseta Slóvakíu trúnaðarbréf sitt sem sendiherra Íslands í Slóvakíu með aðsetur í Vínarborg.

Call for Applications for grants from the Development Fund for Immigration Issues

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour and the Immigration Council invite applications for grants from the Development Fund for Immigration Issues.