Iceland May Soon Become EU Member

The first round of talks on Iceland's accession to the European Union will take place in Brussels later on Tuesday.

The European Parliament supported on July 7 the proposal by the European Commission to begin negotiations on the issue. The foreign ministers of the 27 EU member states approved the European Commission's recommendation in June.

The negotiations are expected to last from 12 to 18 months, RIA Novosti reports.

The Nordic country is a member of the European Economic Area, having been party to the European Free Trade Association from as early as 1970. It has much of its law aligned with the acquis communautaire.

A concern remains over Iceland's fisheries, a trade traditional to the country, which some believe might not be compatible with EU's complex and binding common policy in the field, Novinite.com reports.