Minister Bjarkey Olsen Gunnarsdóttir weighs fisheries legislation for upcoming parliamentary session in Iceland

The Minister of Food, Bjarkey Olsen Gunnarsdóttir, has not yet determined whether the proposed fisheries legislation will be included in the government’s agenda for the upcoming parliamentary session next week. She aims to achieve consensus among the ruling coalition parties on the issue before Parliament reconvenes.

The fisheries bill was introduced last year but was delayed due to disagreements between representatives of the coalition parties in the Fisheries Committee, specifically over the penalty provisions. Bjarkey emphasized the importance of resolving this dispute before the bill is reintroduced, stating, “I believe it is clear that if we cannot resolve this disagreement, it is worthless to submit the proposal.”

As Parliament prepares to meet next week, the government will present its legislative agenda. However, Bjarkey has not ruled out the possibility of reaching an agreement before that time. “We are discussing the matter,” she noted, expressing a preference for submitting the entire bill rather than piecemeal components on which there are no disagreements. “My desire is to present the bill in its entirety. Addressing this issue in bits and pieces does not resolve the problems we need to tackle.”