The foreign ministers of Iceland and Spain will sign four cooperation agreements during José Manuel Albares’ visit to Reykjavik, at a time when the Arctic country is resuming the possibility of applying for membership in the European Union.
However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs makes no mention of this fact and limits itself to emphasizing that it “is about reaffirming and strengthening bilateral relations” which, according to its version, “are going through a great moment, reinforced by the inauguration, in December of last year, of the Icelandic Embassy in Madrid.”
It is striking that, from the Spanish Ministry, there has been no recent statement of support for Iceland’s entry into the EU, despite the fact that its Icelandic counterpart, Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, has recently denounced that the referendum called on this matter for the next August 29 may be subject to foreign interference. Albares expressed to the Icelandic minister in May, during his trip to Spain, that he welcomed “very positively” Iceland’s efforts to become part of the EU.
Iceland applied to join the European Union in 2009 but suspended negotiations in 2013. If the resumption of accession negotiations were approved, the authorities of Iceland —which is already part of the European Economic Area (EEA), like Norway and Liechtenstein— estimate that they could integrate within approximately 18 months.
In this context, the Spanish minister’s trip is limited to the signing of four agreements on political consultations, training of diplomats, gender equality, and scientific cooperation. In addition, according to the Ministry’s press release, “the cooperation agreement in education signed in 2023 will be promoted so that Spanish has a greater presence in the country.”
Albares’ department also highlights as important topics “cooperation in security and defense within the framework of NATO, as well as the shared concern for issues such as cybersecurity or the protection of critical infrastructures.” In these cases, the press release specifies that “the minister will be able to reaffirm Spain’s commitment to a 360º vision in security, including the Arctic.”
After the bilateral meeting with her Icelandic counterpart, Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, both ministers will participate in the colloquium “Partners at the Ends of Europe: Iceland and Spain” at the University of Iceland.
“A visit to Thingvellir National Park has also been included in the program, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the cradle of one of the oldest parliaments in the world and the place where the tectonic plates of North America and Eurasia separate,” the Foreign Affairs statement notes.
