Iceland And Britain Sign Agreement, Ensuring Pre-Brexit Rights Until End Of 2020

Iceland and the United Kingdom have signed a joint agreement that will ensure all the European Economic Area (EEA) rights and privileges of citizens of both countries currently enjoy, an announcement from Iceland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports, until at least the end of 2020.

Brexit is to begin at midnight this Friday, but the UK will remain within the EU market until the end of 2020. While Iceland is not in the EU, it is in the EEA, and Brexit has been a cause for concern amongst Icelanders living in the UK and Brits living in Iceland alike.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson signed an agreement with the UK yesterday that will ensure that citizens of these countries will not be affected by Brexit, provided they have moved from one country to the other before the end of 2020.

Furthermore, Iceland and the UK will begin trade negotiations to prepare for when Brexit will be officially out of the EU market at the end of this year. The stated goal of this agreement is “to continue our close relationship now and in the future, and to take best advantage of the opportunities that will arise.”