ICELAND: European court to rule on fish rules-of-origin

When fish products are imported into Iceland and then processed, to what extent can they be marketed as Icelandic fish products under European law? The European Free Trade Area (EFTA) Court has been asked to rule on this question. Iceland’s Reykjanes District Court wants to know whether the defrosting, heading, filleting, boning, trimming, salting and packing of fish that has been imported frozen whole to Iceland from countries outside the European Economic Area (the EU, plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) creates a product sufficiently different to be considered of Icelandic origin.

July 29, 2003

Iceland’s Reykjanes District Court wants to know whether the defrosting, heading, filleting, boning, trimming, salting and packing of fish that has been imported frozen whole to Iceland from countries outside the European Economic Area (the EU, plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) creates a product sufficiently different to be considered of Icelandic origin.

The ruling would be a precedent across the EU and EFTA, (the EEA countries plus Switzerland).