Toetredingsverzoek IJsland ter bespreking bij Raad Externe Zaken (en)

At the Council meeting on 27 July, the ministers will discuss enlargement and Iceland’s application for membership of the EU.

Iceland has submitted its application for membership of the EU to the Council of Ministers. The General Affairs Council will discuss the issue at the Council meeting on 27 July. The Council could decide to give the Commission the task of preparing an opinion on Iceland’s preparedness to enter negotiations. Before the Council of Ministers can decide on whether or not to accept a country's membership application, it has to consult the Commission and get the assent of the European Parliament. The Council must then be unanimous in its decision to accept the application . Once this has taken place, the country is granted the status of candidate country and accession negotiations can commence. These negotiations result in an Accession Treaty, which sets out the conditions for the country's relations with the EU and potential transitional rules or exemptions.