Iceland on course for the EU

Iceland submits its formal application for membership of the European Union today. This puts the country behind other candidates like Croatia, Albania and Turkey from a chronological point of view. In his blog Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt writes that the Nordic country nonetheless has excellent chances of a swift accession: "European cooperation has retained its appeal. Albania has already applied for membership this year and I can't rule out further applications in the coming months. These applications will naturally each be considered individually and dealt with according to the current rules, routines and prerequisites. But as a member of the European Economic Area and the Schengen zone Iceland falls into a category that is considerably ahead of countries that are not participating in these forms of cooperation."

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