Press Release: Malta Chamber of SMEs welcomes launch of direct flights to New York
17 September 2025
The Malta Chamber of SMEs welcomes the positive news that direct flights between Malta International...
Iceland hands in application to join the EU
05 August 2009
Iceland handed in an application to join the European Union to the Swedish EU presidency, an Icelandic foreign ministry spokeswoman said. Iceland's parliament narrowly backed the government's plan to begin talks to join the 27-nation bloc, months after a meltdown of the north Atlantic island's economy amid the global financial crisis.
If voters agree to seek membership in a referendum and talks go well, political analysts have said Iceland could be the next to join the EU — jumping the queue ahead of southern European countries such as Croatia. Icelanders are however torn between feeling it may be best for the country and fears they could lose their independence to faraway Brussels. Recent opinion polls have indicated a small majority in Iceland in favour of joining the union. Iceland's path to Brussels may also not be entirely smooth because of differences over fisheries and disputes with some EU states over accounts in failed Icelandic banks.
