Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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154. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the decision taken by his colleague, Icelandic Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson, and the Government of Iceland's decision to disband their EU accession team; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39296/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Ireland has been a strong supporter of Iceland's application to join the European Union and we were disappointed not to have been able to make more progress in the accession negotiations during our EU Presidency in the first half of this year. The new Government of Iceland, however, which came into office in the second half of our Presidency, decided to put Iceland's EU accession negotiations on hold and not to continue them without a prior referendum. The Government of Iceland has also indicated that it is to prepare an assessment of the status of negotiations as well as of developments within the EU since Iceland applied. It is against this background that the recent announcement on dissolving its task force and negotiating teams has been made.It is, of course, a matter for the Government of Iceland, and indeed the people of Iceland, to decide their approach to EU membership and we must respect their decision.