Mission to the EU
The Embassy in Brussels 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.
Further information on the EEA:
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.
Further information on Schengen:
List of staff at the Icelandic Embassy in Brussels:
| Management | ||
Stefán Haukur Jóhannesson Head of the Mission of Iceland to the European Union | ||
Finnur Þór Birgisson Minister, Deputy Head of the Mission of Iceland to the European Union Tel.: +32 (0) 499 70 09 91 | ||
Katrín A. Sverrisdóttir Director of EEA Cooperation | ||
| Assistants | ||
Ive Leonidas Personal Assistant to the Ambassador | ||
Kaye Aquino Assistant | ||
Natalie Mizera Assistant | ||
| Ministry for Foreign Affairs | ||
Selma Sif Ísfeld Óskarsdóttir Counsellor EEA Joint Committee, EFTA Standing Committee, EEA Council, ESA Court Committee, Arctic Affairs, Belgium and Luxembourg, communications & social media, Embassy visits, consular affairs. | ||
Inga Þórey Óskarsdóttir First Secretary EU Foreign Affairs, EEA Agreement incl. Subcommittees I-IV and V, the Netherlands and San Marino. | ||
Ásborg Guðmundsdóttir Attaché Accounting and consular affairs. | ||
| Prime Minister’s Office | ||
Ágúst Geir Ágústsson Counsellor | ||
| Ministry of Infrastructure | ||
Sigurbergur Björnsson Counsellor | ||
| Ministry of Industries | ||
Daði Ólafsson Counsellor Culture, Media, Tourism, Internal Market, Competition policy, Consumer protection and Business affairs. | ||
Iðunn María Guðjónsdóttir Counsellor Food Chain, Agriculture and Fisheries. | ||
| Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Climate | ||
Sigurbjörg Sæmundsdóttir Counsellor Tel.: +32 (0) 491 90 56 17 | ||
Vanda Úlfrún Liv Hellsing Counsellor Tel.: +32 (0) 491 26 84 00 | ||
| Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs | ||
Tinna Finnbogadóttir Counsellor Financial services, Economic affairs, Taxes, Customs, Public finances, EEA Financial Mechanism and Public procurement. | ||
| Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing & Ministry of Education and Children | ||
Gunnhildur Gunnarsdóttir Counsellor Free movement of persons, Employment, Social policy, Social security, Gender equality, Health and safety at work, Labour Law, Education, Children affairs, Sports, Erasmus and European Social Fund. | ||
| Ministry of Culture, Innovation & Higher Education | ||
Sóley Gréta Sveinsdóttir Morthens Counsellor Higher Education, Research, Innovation, Industry, Telecommunications and IT, Cyber security, and Space. | ||
| Ministry of Health | ||
Ásthildur Knútsdóttir Counsellor | ||
| Ministry of Justice | ||
Gunnlaugur Geirsson Counsellor Justice and Home Affairs, Schengen, Asylum and Migration, Police Cooperation, Data Protection, Civil Protection and Anti-mon |