The meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs with Swedish Minister for this area worked on the imminent accession of Iceland and external relations with Honduras and Iran, and security priorities.

Carl Bildt, presenting the Swedish Presidency's foreign affairs and security priorities to the Foreign Affairs Committee, said that Iceland's membership application would be treated like any other, even though its transposition of the acquis communautaire is very advanced.

He also stressed that this country's  accession would "bring the EU into direct contact with the environmentally important arctic region, with its new shipping routes". 

Honduras, Iran and the passport in western balkans

After the European Commission announced on Monday that the EU is suspending budget aid to Honduras, Mr. Bildt said that the EU is not setting out to break off relations with this country, unless it proved necessary: "then, we shall do so, but now our policy is to support the mediation begun by President Arias", said the Swedish minister about the effects of the current crisis on plans to sign a free trade agreement with central American countries.

As for Iran, Bildt did not want to pronounce on the request to hold a referendum on the legitimacy of the new government that the reformist former president Mohammad Khatami has proposed.

The European Commission's recent decision to exclude Bosnia-Herzegovina from a plan to waive visa requirements with effect from 1 January 2010was criticized by many MEPs, The Swedish minister blamed the Bosnian leadership, which, he said, "have not taken the necessary decisions, including on biometric passports."

Citizens of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Montenegro and Serbia will be able to travel freely within the Schengen area from January 1, 2010.