On the basis of the positions of the Parties, the first meeting of the Accession Conference with Iceland at Ministerial level decided on 27 July the opening of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on the Accession of Iceland to the European Union, following the decision of the European Council of 17 June that accession negotiations should be opened. Contacts between the Iceland and the EU side will be now pursued in order to define the date and the agenda for the first meeting of the Conference at Deputy level.

The first intergovernmental conference (IGC) on the accession of Iceland to the European Union was held in Brussels on 27 July, formally opening accession negotiations with this country. The Belgian Presidency delivered the EU Negotiating Framework, which outlines the principles, substance and procedures guiding the negotiations with Iceland, thus paving the way for the upcoming accession talks between Iceland and the EU.

The Negotiating Framework to Iceland, which was agreed by the General Affairs Council on 26 July, takes account of the experience of the fifth enlargement and the evolving acquis, and duly reflects Iceland's own merits and specific characteristics. It sets out the principles governing the negotiations and describes the substance of the negotiations as well as the negotiating procedures.

The acquis includes, inter alia, the objectives and principles on which the Union is founded, as set out in the Treaty on European Union. The Union expects that a future Member State adheres to the values on which the Union is founded. Furthermore, EU accession implies the timely and effective implementation of the entire body of EU law or acquis, as it stands at the time of accession. The development of sufficient administrative and judicial capacity is key in fulfilling all obligations stemming from membership.

The process for the discussions on the acquis, estimated to last from November this year to mid-2011, will allow Iceland to familiarise itself with the acquis and the Commission to assess how prepared Iceland is for EU membership. Once screening has been completed, individual chapters can be opened for negotiations between the EU Member States and Iceland.

In the framework of the IPA (Instrument for Pre-Accession), the Commission will continue to support Iceland's accession process through pre-accession funding to help the country further align its laws with the acquis, as well as providing objective information on the EU and its policies.

The Negotiating Framework

The Negotiating Framework is the core reference for the accession negotiations with a candidate country. It points out areas where special efforts are necessary to fulfil the accession criteria, which in the case of Iceland include fisheries, agriculture and rural development, environment, free movement of capital, and financial services.

Iceland is the third country with which the EU is currently negotiating accession, after Croatia and Turkey, which both opened accession negotiations in 2005.