Sweden, which takes over the chairmanship of the European Union in
July, would be ready to give Iceland’s possible application for
membership “top priority.” So says Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt, addressing questions from reporters at a conference of Nordic countries yesterday.
When asked how Sweden would respond to Iceland’s possible application for membership, Bildt responded, “We would welcome it. We look at it as such: the union would be improved with Iceland’s involvement, not to mention the stability the union would give Iceland.”
Bildt said that in the event Iceland does apply for membership, the application would be given top priority and moved into the process as fast as possible.
“We would obviously need to convince the 27 other main EU members,” he added. “That work is another story. We’d also be dealing with the applications of other nations, such as Albania. We would, on the other hand, put Iceland’s application forward as a priority for various reasons.”