Iceland has joined EUMETSAT as its latest Member State, following the signature of the accession agreement on 30 August 2013

22 January 2014

As a Member State, Iceland is fully involved in the strategic decisions of EUMETSAT’s ruling Council. Also, its industry will be able to bid for contracts, and Icelandic nationals can become staff members, in addition to Iceland obtaining unlimited access to all EUMETSAT data and products. 

The Minister for Environment and Natural Resources of Iceland, Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, said: "Accession to EUMETSAT will improve Iceland‘s forecasting cabilities, bringing significant benefits  for key industries such as fisheries, agriculture and tourism, enhancing public safety and supporting other important areas such as road construction, research and education.“

Welcoming Iceland as a new Member State, the EUMETSAT Director-General, Alain Ratier, said: “I am very pleased to see Iceland join the EUMETSAT family of nations  – less than half a year after our meeting in Reykjavik.  This shows a clear recognition of the benefits provided by this organisation and it brings EUMETSAT very close to achieving our goal of 30 Member States in 2014.”