The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will be visiting Iceland this week to meet with the Prime Minister, Kristrún Frostadóttir, and Foreign Minister, Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir to discuss global affairs, security and defence, trade, civil protection, environment and climate issues, as well as the EEA cooperation. 

President von der Leyen will, inter alia, visit Keflavik Air Base and Grindavík, where the President will meet with representatives from the Icelandic Civil Protection and Emergency Management to discuss the efforts made in and around Grindavík. Icelandic civil protection authorities and the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism (EUCPM) cooperate closely together as witnessed when the EUCPM dispatched a group of emergency response experts in the wake of the Grindavík/Sundhnúkagíga volcanic eruptions - at the request of Icelandic authorities. 

This is the second time President von der Leyen visits Iceland. The last time the President visited was in May 2023 to attend the Leader's Summit of the Council of Europe.