The EU could offer Iceland a carve-out on fishing policy to accelerate the country’s potential bid to join the bloc, Brussels has said, as the union seeks to expand its footprint in the strategically important Arctic.
Iceland is preparing for a referendum in August on whether to restart EU membership talks, as it grapples with security concerns that have sharpened due to Russia’s war in Ukraine and US President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland. Iceland’s previous bid to join the EU, more than a decade ago, was frozen after a stand-off with Brussels over fishing rights.
But Costas Kadis, the EU’s commissioner for fishing, told the FT there is “definitely room for flexibility” as the bloc reviews its decades-old aquaculture policy. Asked if the EU would be open to offering Iceland exemptions, the commissioner said: “Yes, yes. It will be part of the discussions.