Brussels, 09/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 8 April, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle and Icelandic Foreign Affairs Minister Ossur Skarphédinsson hailed the fact that the negotiations on food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy have made progress, and that chapter 12, which is related to them, is about to be opened, the European Commission stated in a press release. Füle spoke of his “full understanding” for the sensitive Icelandic issues with regard to the import of live animals, taking account of the geographic, veterinary and phytosanitary specificities of the country.
Twenty-seven negotiation chapters have already been opened, eleven have been provisionally closed, and six have still to be opened, including the one on fishing.
Füle and Skarphédinsson also discussed enhanced cooperation on the Arctic. The EU and Iceland have launched high-level consultations, the “Arctic Dialogue”, the first session of which is to be held on 15 April in Brussels. Arrangements for cooperation with emphasis on disaster preparedness and a common maritime service centre for economic development and surveillance in North Atlantic and in the Arctic will be discussed. (CG/transl.fl/jl)