The Icelandic Government submitted yesterday its answers to a questionnaire from the European Commission as part of ongoing preparations for Iceland’s application for membership of the EU. All ministries and a number of agencies contributed to this effort, which resulted in more than 2600 pages of answers, in addition to annexes and attachments, 8870 pages in total. The answers will form the basis for the Commission’s opinion to the European Council regarding Iceland’s readiness for formal candidate status. Read the full story

PRESS RELEASE FROM Ministry for Foreign Affairs 
Significant progress has been made towards solving the differences on the interpretation of legal obligations with respect to deposit guarantees in the European Economic Area. The issue stemmed from difficulties following the collapse of former privately-owned Icelandic banks, in particular the Landsbanki in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands and the issue of the so-called Icesave accounts. Talks between Iceland and several EU member states, initiated by the French EU Presidency, led to a common understanding that will form the basis for further negotiations. Read the full story