Fast track to EU could be on the cards for Iceland

Published on Friday 30 January 2009 21:21

ICELAND could be fast-tracked to join the European Union within two years to help the country out of its economic crisis, a senior EU official said yesterday.

Olli Rehn, the EU's enlargement commissioner, said if the country applied for membership it could join at the same time as Croatia, which is expected to become a member by 2011.

Despite long-standing reservations about joining, support for EU membership has risen in Iceland after the collapse of its economy last year.

"The EU prefers two countries joining at the same time rather than individually," Mr Rehn said. "If Iceland applies shortly and the negotiations are rapid, Croatia and Iceland could join the EU in parallel."

Mr Rehn's spokeswoman, Krisztina Nagy, said Iceland would not receive special treatment and would be treated on its own merits. But she added that because it is a member of the European Economic Area, its negotiations would go "relatively fast".

A spokesman for the EU presidency, currently held by the Czech Republic, said: "Iceland is a country with which we share values."

A tough issue would be access to Iceland's fiercely guarded fishing waters, crucial to the island's economy.

The woman expected to become Iceland's new prime minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir, is from the Social Democratic Party, which favours EU entry.