Brussels, 23/08/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 22 August, Iceland's foreign affairs minister stated that he was ready to stop Iceland's process of accession to the European Union definitively. He stated that he had received an opinion from his constitutional consultative council showing that the government should not feel bound by the Parliament's vote that launched the negotiations in 2009. The government has therefore “decided to consider the dissolution of the negotiating committee”, according to a press release.
Peter Stano, the spokesperson for European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle, recalled on 23 August that the EU and the Commission respect the new approach of the new Icelandic government and its decisions (see EUROPE 10867). “We look forward to clarity on the validity of Iceland's membership application after the parliamentary assessment on EU accession by Iceland” in the autumn, Stano said. He stated that it is “in the interest of the EU and Iceland that a decision is taken on the basis of proper reflection and in an objective, transparent, serene manner”. “We hope that this debate in Iceland will provide us with clear indications on the way ahead and we are ready to further discuss with the government how to shape this way forward together”, Stano added.
The accession negotiations were suspended in January during the parliamentary elections campaign - elections that were won by parties opposed to Iceland's EU membership. On 16 July, the presidents of the European Council and European Commission, Herman Van Rompuy and José Manuel Barroso respectively, called on Iceland to take a decision without delay on the continuation or not of the accession process (see EUROPE 10889).
Although the negotiations have progressed swiftly, the EU and Iceland are in conflict over fishing, in particular the “mackerel war”. (CG/transl.fl)