Egilsstadir, Iceland - Leaders of five Nordic nations started a two-day meeting Sunday to confer over the proposed entrance of Iceland into the European Union. The meeting in the small eastern Iclandic town of Egilsstadir will also provide the five nations - Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Iceland - with a chance to come up with a joint strategy for planned international climate change talks scheduled in Copenhagen for December.
Denmark, Sweden and Finland are already EU members. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said this week that he will use Sweden's time as head of the EU, which lasts for six months starting July 1, to try to expedite Iceland's membership bid.
Iceland has been especially hard hit by the ongoing financial crisis.
