Árni Þór, Guðný and Gunnar take a seat in the executive committee for land disturbances in Grindavíkurbær

Árni Þór Sigurðsson, Guðný Sverrisdóttir and Gunnar Einarsson will take part in a special executive committee on Grindavík issues. Árni Þór will be the chairman of the committee. The law on the executive committee was approved by the Althingi earlier this week, but it will officially start working on June 1st. However, preparations have begun and the committee will, among other things, meet the town council of Grindavíkur town next week. The committee will also have preparatory meetings with state-run institutions that have worked on the response to the earthquakes at Grindavík.

Svandís Svavarsdóttir, Minister of Infrastructure: "The executive committee for ground disturbances in Grindavíkurbær is an important step in order to sharpen the government's responsibility and role regarding Grindavíkur issues. This step is good for Grindvíking. But no less for the entire community, which stands with the Grindvíkings in these difficult times."

About committee members

Árni Þór Sigurðsson sat in Alþingi for years, but was previously a city councilor in Reykjavík for thirteen years and for a time sat on the board of the Association of Icelandic Municipalities. Árni Þór has worked in the foreign service since 2015 and was Iceland's ambassador to Finland, Russia and most recently to Denmark.
Guðný Sverrisdóttir was the mayor of Grýtubakka district for almost 27 years, until 2014. Guðný has held many positions of trust. For a long time, she was the chairman of the advisory committee of the Municipal Equalization Fund and held that position until 2023.
Gunnar Einarsson was mayor of Garðabær for 17 years, and before that he was director of the town's education and culture department. Gunnar has held various confidential positions and was, among other things, on the board of the Union of Icelandic Municipalities for twelve years.

Role of the committee

The Executive Committee will manage, organize and implement specific projects assigned to it by law, coordinate actions, ensure efficient cooperation with Grindavíkurbær, other authorities and other parties involved and have an overall overview of Grindavíkurbær's affairs. The executive committee is a multi-member and independent government body that has tasks related to solutions related to the earthquakes at Grindavík.
The committee's main tasks will focus on community service by operating a service team in the field of welfare and school services, and then the committee will oversee the construction and repair of important infrastructure in Grindavík.
The project has been prepared in good cooperation with the town council of Grindavík, who requested cooperation on arrangements and governance arrangements for projects under unusual conditions due to ground disturbances in Grindavík.