Commenting on the Icesave referendum of 6 March, which saw Icelanders reject a deal to reimburse the British and Dutch governments for deposits lost in Icesave online savings accounts when Iceland's Landsbanki collapsed, Füle said the Commission had "taken note" of the result of the referendum.
"This is a matter for the people of Iceland to decide. As such, the results of the referendum are quite distinct from Iceland's accession process. Icesave is a bilateral issue between Iceland and two member states."
The commissioner said he did not expect the referendum result to prevent EU leaders from giving their go-ahead at the end of March to start EU-Iceland accession negotiations.
No shortcut to EU membership
However, "there will be no fast-track procedure, no shortcut to EU membership," Füle added.
"The criteria that need to be fulfilled are the same for all applicant countries based on the 'own merits' principle. More substantial efforts will be needed to align with the acquis in areas that are not covered by the EEA [European Economic Area] Agreement, most notably in agriculture and rural development, fisheries and the environment," he said.
Iceland 'an asset to EU'
The enlargement commissioner outlined the many advantages for the Union of admitting the Nordic country.
"Icelandic membership would contribute to strengthening the Union's role in advocating human rights and democratic values globally. Thanks to its strategic geographic location Iceland would, as an EU member, strengthen the Union's strategic positioning in the North Atlantic area. Iceland also has considerable experience in the fields of renewable energy technologies, the protection of the environment and combating climate change," Füle stated.
