The annual Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) between the United Kingdom Government and the Governments of the Overseas Territories is taking place virtually this week with the involvement of lawmaker MLA Teslyn Barkman in representation of the Falkland Islands.
The Falkland Islands Referendum held on Thursday, resulted in a defeat for the concept of a single constituency. Neither of the two current constituencies Camp or Stanley, garnered the two thirds support for a single constituency.
Falkland Islanders discussed the upcoming single constituency referendum scheduled for 24th September and whether there is a need for wider engagement work on the issue, according to a column from MLA Teslyn Barkman.
St Helena and the Falkland Islands will be joining over 100 islands in the Virtual Island Summit. The Summit (https://www.islandinnovation.co/summit/) is a free online event aimed at connecting islands across the globe to share common experiences through a digital platform.
Falkland Islands' lawmakers in a recent visit to London completed a round of talks with Foreign Office and other UK government officials to address several issues of interest, Brexit/EU talks, including fisheries, trade, and the current Argentine government aggressive diplomacy towards the Islands, among other points.
The Falkland Islands government, FIG, up to July 6, had paid out £1,016,570 for Covid support measures from the total approved funding of £8.99m. The figure, from a paper presented to the Executive Council does not include the wool clip purchase scheme, which is expected to total around £2.9m.
Lawmaker MLA Teslyn Barkman confirmed that work continues in London to ensure that any future Brexit agreement (UK leaving the EU) has input from the Falkland Islands.
The Falkland Islands Government (FIG) and the Falkland Islands Fishing Companies Association (FIFCA) have agreed an Accord to underpin the future of the industry. The Accord acknowledges that the Falkland Islands has a strong commitment to quality, sustainability and the environment.
A UK/Falklands-Argentina meeting of the South Atlantic Scientific Sub-Committee scheduled for January is “unlikely” to take place, the Falklands lawmaker MLA Teslyn Barkman told Penguin News. The prospect of this happening and “taking Britain out of the comfort zone enjoyed” until now, had been advanced by Mercopress.
A detailed assessment is to be carried out into the potential development of an aquaculture industry in the Falkland Islands, it was announced by the government. The proposal is at a very early stage and the Falkland Islands Government needs to improve its understanding of the industry before making a commitment to any go-ahead.