Iceland clears first EU membership hurdle

Jul 27, 2009, 16:05 GMT

Brussels - Iceland cleared the first hurdle on the way to becoming a European Union member on Monday when EU foreign ministers agreed to pass its membership application on to the bloc's executive for a technical evaluation.

'The (European) Commission is invited to submit to (EU member states) its opinion on this application,' the foreign ministers of the EU's 27 members said in a joint statement.

The decision means that the commission will now analyze whether Iceland's laws are in line with EU legal standards.

But it does not mean that the country is guaranteed a quick entry, even if it has already signed up to many EU rules as a member of the European Economic Area and Schengen border-free zone.

'There is no fast track for Iceland, but there is obviously a rather shorter track,' Sweden's foreign minister, Carl Bildt, who chaired the meeting, said as he arrived.

Iceland applied for membership in Stockholm, current seat of the EU's rotating presidency, just four days ago.

Its application comes as doubts are growing within the EU over the whole process of enlargement, with bilateral rows and internal problems jeopardizing the hopes of most other candidates.

Albania, which applied to join the bloc at the end of April, is still waiting for the EU to pass on its application, because the bloc is waiting for Albania to form a government.

Croatia and Turkey have seen their membership bids stalled by rows with Slovenia and Cyprus, while EU diplomats fear that Greece will veto the opening of talks with Macedonia, as it did in NATO, in a row over Macedonia's name.

'We have to say yes to Iceland, but we also have to say yes to Croatia and Albania,' Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger said as he arrived at the meeting.

In a bid to forestall accusations of 'leap-frogging' Albania, ministers stressed that the EU 'will return to Albania's application ... once the Albanian election procedure has been completed.'

It is now up to the commission to analyze whether Iceland is capable of living up to EU standards on issues such as business law, human rights and political stability.

Finland's Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said that it was his 'sincere hope' that the commission could report by the year's end.

EU states will then have to approve the opening of accession talks, and then carry out the talks themselves, a process which can take years.