On this occasion – not far from a completed agreement with the EU

On the occasion of the European Commission releasing its reports yesterday on individual states that are in the accession process to the EU, the EU's enlargement commissioner expressed his view that "...we have not been that far from presenting the Icelanders with an agreement that would take into account the specific situation of Iceland while also adhering to the fundamental principles of the European Union and all the rules of the game."

This is rather loosely interpreted. The fact of the matter is that all the major issues in these negotiations were still outstanding when a pause was made. Despite many negotiating chapters having been opened and about a third closed, it does not hold that a deal was near at hand when chapters on fishing and agriculture had not even been opened, let alone the fact that the EU had not even finalized its own assessment report on the fisheries chapter.

This assertion by the enlargement commissioner shows that it is urgent to have accurate information on the status of the negotiations with the EU on the table. Therefore, that aspect will indeed be part of the review that I will present shortly in the new year.

Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson