"It's a historical day, a great day, a great joy…" Negotiations for the accession of Iceland to the EU were officially launched on 27 July in a climate of euphoria. The first intergovernmental meeting between Steven Vanackere, the Belgian minister for foreign affairs, president of Council of the EU, Ossur Skarphedinsson, his Icelandic counterpart and Stefan Fiile, commissioner for enlargement, allowed all of them to express their enthusiasm about entering this new phase and lay the groundwork for future negotiations but also identify the possible pitfalls ahead. While Iceland, in light of its participation in the EEA and Schengen, can be considered to have already completed half of the process, there remains still, however, a long way to go. Iceland's path to accession is indeed strewn with obstacles, namely fishing, financial services, whaling and agriculture.
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