Mission to the EU
The Embassy is a Mission to the European Union as well as being a bilateral Embassy to Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and San Marino. The Principal role of the Mission is to coordinate Iceland’s participation in the EEA Agreement, the Schengen Convention and various other relations and co-operation with the European Union.
The European Economic Area
The European Economic Area (EEA) unites the 27 EU Member States and the three EEA EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway) in to an Internal Market governed by the same basic rules. These rules aim to enable goods, services, capital, and persons to move freely in the EEA in an open and competitive environment, a concept referred to as the four freedoms. The objective of the EEA Agreement, as laid down in Article 1, is to promote a continuous and balanced strengthening of trade and economic relations between the Contracting Parties with the view to creating a homogenous European Economic Area. More (from the EFTA's website).
Further information:
List of staff at the Icelandic Embassy in Brussels:
| Management | ||
 | Kristján Andri StefánssonHead of the Mission of Iceland to the European UnionAmbassador of Iceland to Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and San Marino. | |
Finnur Þór BirgissonDeputy Head of the Mission of Iceland to the European UnionTel.: +32 (0) 499 70 09 91 [email protected] [email protected] | ||
 | Katrín A. SverrisdóttirDirector of EEA CooperationTel.: +32 (0) 498 17 70 45 [email protected] [email protected] | |
| Assistants | ||
 | Ive LeonidasPersonal Assistant to the AmbassadorTel.: +32 (0) 2 238 50 00 [email protected] | |
 | Kaye AquinoAssistantTel.: +32 (0) 2 238 50 00 [email protected] | |
 | Natalie MizeraAssistantTel.: +32 (0) 2 238 50 00 [email protected] | |
| Ministry for Foreign Affairs | ||
 | Jónas HaraldssonCounsellorTel.: +32 (0) 472 78 17 29 [email protected] [email protected] EU Foreign Affairs, EEA Grants, the Netherlands, and San Marino. | |
 | Selma Sif Ísfeld ÓskarsdóttirFirst SecretaryTel.: +32 (0) 492 25 35 49 [email protected] [email protected]
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 | Gyða Hafdís MargeirsdóttirAccountantTel.: +32 (0) 497 44 49 39 [email protected] [email protected]
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 | Berta SnædalTemporary OfficerTel.: +32 (0) 490 08 49 46 [email protected] [email protected] | |
| Prime Minister’s Office | ||
 | Ágúst Geir ÁgústssonCounsellorTel.: +32 (0) 492 11 81 31 [email protected] [email protected] EU and EEA-related policy, Editor of Brussel-vaktin, gender equality, Subcommittee V, relations with the European Parliament and EFTA Parliamentary Committee. | |
| Ministry of Infrastructure | ||
 | Sigurbergur BjörnssonCounsellorTel.: +32 (0) 491 71 73 43 [email protected] [email protected] Transport, Regional Policy, Construction, Planning and Space. | |
| Ministry of Food, Fisheries and Agriculture | ||
 | Guðmundur V. FriðjónssonCounsellorTel.: + 32 (0) 492 72 77 96 gudmundur.v.frið[email protected] [email protected] Food safety, trade agreements, CAP and CFP. | |
| Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Climate | ||
 | Sigurbjörg SæmundsdóttirCounsellorTel.: +32 (0) 491 90 56 17 [email protected] | |
| Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs | ||
 | Tinna FinnbogadóttirCounsellorTel.: +32 (0) 499 92 78 90 [email protected] [email protected] Financial services, Economic affairs, Taxes, Customs, Public finances, EEA Financial Mechanism and Public procurement. | |
| Ministry of Culture and Business Affairs | ||
 | Daði ÓlafssonCounsellorTel.: +32 (0) 499 92 79 16 [email protected] [email protected] Culture, Media, Tourism, Internal Market, Competition policy, Consumer protection and Business affairs. | |
| Ministry of Social Affairs and the Labour Market & Ministry of Education and Children | ||
 | Gunnhildur GunnarsdóttirCounsellorTel.: +32 (0) 490 64 58 80 [email protected] [email protected] Free movement of persons, Employment, Social policy, Social security, Health and safety at work, Labour Law, Education, Children affairs, Sports, Erasmus and European Social Fund. | |
| Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation | ||
 | Sóley Gréta Sveinsdóttir MorthensCounsellorTel.: + 32 (0) 492 72 77 95 [email protected] [email protected] Higher Education, Research, Innovation, Industry, Telecommunications and IT, Cyber security, and Space. | |
| Ministry of Health | ||
 | Hafdís Hrönn OttósdóttirCounsellorTel.: +32 (0) 497 49 37 34 [email protected] [email protected] Health affairs. | |
| Ministry of Justice | ||
 | Lilja Borg ViðarsdóttirCounsellorTel.: +32 (0) 491 97 08 57 [email protected] [email protected] Justice and Home Affairs, Schengen, Asylum and Migration, Police Cooperation, Data Protection, Civil Protection and Anti-money laundering. | |
Schengen
Iceland is a member of the Schengen Area. The practicalities of free movement within an area without internal border controls were first set out by the Schengen Agreement in 1985 and the subsequent Schengen Convention in 1995 that abolished controls on internal borders between the signatory countries.
The Amsterdam Treaty on the European Union, which came into force on the 1 May 1999, incorporated the set of measures adopted under the Schengen umbrella into the Union’s legal and institutional framework. The Schengen area encompasses 22 EU member states as well as Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. New applicants to the Union will have to fulfill these same requirements.
The Schengen principles of free circulation of people are backed by improved and still developing security measures to ensure that the EU's internal security is safeguarded.