Iceland must address backlog in EEA obligations, minister says

The foreign ministers of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg have expressed strong support for working with Iceland and finding solutions, while stressing that Iceland is part of the European family, Icelandic news outlet mbl.is reports.

Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir said this after meeting the three ministers at Iceland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs. All three Benelux countries are members of the European Union.

“We are part of the European family, but we also need to take good care of the EEA Agreement. They, like others, fully recognise the backlog in adopting obligations that we are facing, and which has accumulated somewhat. We need to get a grip on that. This is not a box of chocolates,” she said.

Gunnarsdóttir said Iceland must take its commitments seriously and follow them through. She added that she expected cross-party agreement to form on the issue.

She also highlighted the importance of a cooperation declaration on security and defence that she and Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, signed in March. “It is very important, and we will continue working together on defence and security,” the minister said.

Arctic affairs will also remain part of Iceland’s discussions with the EU. Gunnarsdóttir said the union had ambitious plans to strengthen security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic, and that Iceland would take part in that cooperation.