The President of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), Mercedes Bresso, welcomed the progress made in the accession negotiations and reiterated the CoR's willingness in fully supporting Iceland's accession process at the 4th EU-Icelandic Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting which was celebrated on 4 of April.

The 4th EU-Icelandic Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting that took place on 4 of April, counted with the attendance of Mercedes Bresso, President of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), who stressed that local and regional collaboration must be an integral part of Iceland's accession to the European Union (EU). She also reiterated the CoR's willingness in fully supporting Iceland's accession process. Recently, the European Parliament adopted a resolution which highlights that the Iceland accession is desirable.

According to Pat the Cope Gallagher, MEP and Co-Chairperson of the JPC, the participation of Members from the Committee of the Regions during the JPC meeting will help to develop long lasting relationships at a local and regional level between Iceland and the EU. Mr Halldór Halldórsson from the Association of Local Authorities in Iceland echoed this opinion emphasising the need to ensure that local authorities continued to be actively involved in the discussions.

The JPC meeting focused on an exchange of opinions on the European Union-Iceland relations; on cooperation between EU and Icelandic local and regional authorities; on fisheries policies; on financial and economic crisis: policy responses in Iceland and the EU; and on the Green Economy: Iceland and EU policies.