Iceland supports Faroese application to join EFTA

Iceland’s Foreign Minister has declared her full support for the accession of the Faroe Islands to the European Free Trade Area (EFTA).

EFTA is a free-trade organisation currently made up of Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. All members participate in the Single Market of the European Union (EU) and all existing members must unanimously approve any new member.

Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Lilja Dögg Alfreðsdóttir met yesterday with her Faroese counterpart Poul Michelsen, and expressed her full support for the Faroe Islands’ formal application to join EFTA.

“Faroese membership of EFTA would strengthen the organisation, bring greater diversity, and bring opportunities for our friends and cousins in the Faroe Islands,” reads a press release from Alfreðsdóttir.

“We are keen on even closer cooperation with the Faroe Islands, as the interests of our two countries are considerably intertwined and we enjoy historical, cultural and emotional links.”