Iceland Likely To Extend Employment Restrictions For Croatians

It is expected that Iceland will extend employment restrictions for Croatian citizens after Croatia joins the European Union on July 1 2013, RÚV reports.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday that it is currently holding talks regarding Croatia’s impending entry into the European Economic Area (EEA). The Ministry further stated that Croatia’s joining the EU did not automatically make Croatia a member of the EEA, but that the terms and conditions of their membership required further negotiations.
According to the Ministry’s statement, the negotiated agreement is likely to include a clause whereby Iceland reserves the right to extend employment restrictions for Croatians by delaying approval of the EEA regulation regarding the free movement of workers between member countries. The restriction would also apply to Icelanders seeking work in Croatia.
Iceland ratified a similar clause in its EEA negotiations with Bulgaria and Romania when these countries joined the EU in 2007. Consequently, Bulgarians and Romanians did not gain the right to work in Iceland until the end of 2011.
The Ministry says it expects to settle EEA negotiations with Croatia by the end of this year.