The Council of Europe Summit will take place in Harpa in the Reykjavík city center.

In the city of Reykjavík, certain streets will be closed in part or in their entirety for the meeting from 23:00 (11 AM) on 15 May to 18:00 (6 AM) on 17 May. 

Road users in the capital area will be advised to estimate longer than usual driving time between places on the days of the summit, as traffic delays can be expected due to the driving of delegations under police escort. This also applies to road users who intend to travel on Reykjanesbraut, that is between the Suðurnes region and the capital area on those same days – this includes air passengers. 

The following are the periods of closures in the city centre.  
On Monday 15 May at 23:00, the closures will begin.  
On Wednesday 17 May at 18:00 all closures will be lifted. 

Saturday 13 May to Thursday 18 May – some streets or lanes will be closed temporarily while road closure equipment is installed for the summit. 

See interactive summary map of the road closures. 

There will be no public transport within the closed area of the city centre. Public transport in other parts of the city will be on schedule. See details here. 

The rental scooters will not be active within the closed are of the city centre.  

Further information on the impact on service and access can be found here. 

The Icelandic government, and consequently the Icelandic police, have certain obligations when receiving the leaders of foreign states. 

The host country assumes the responsibilities of security during a summit such as this. The requirements of organizing transnational events of this scale are considered.   

Foreign leaders who visit Iceland on official visits enjoy a so-called expatriate right. The objective of this right is to ensure the security and immunity of visiting heads of state.  

Each Head of State has security, based on the risk assessment his or her people are making. This means that some people themselves bring in armed guards in addition to the security provided. Foreign guards are under command and escorted by Icelandic armed police. 

Yes. The majority of police personnel are involved in the organization of this project in one way or another. In addition to this, they are receiving important support for the task from Europol, partners in the Nordic countries and elsewhere. Icelandic police officers have already received around 10,000 hours of varied training since the end of the year for the summit. The police are equipped to handle the tasks related to the summit and will do so dutifully and with honor. This experience represents a valuable investment in police human resources for the future.  

Yes, the Icelandic police will be armed for the security aspect of the European Council Summit. Fortunately, the arming of police in Iceland is not something we are used to. We accept these demands, however, and the police are well prepared to receive the heads of state and ensure their safety and that the public in Iceland is prepared. 

Here are the rules on the use of force by police officers and the handling and use of force-deployment devices and weapons  

https://www.stjornartidindi.is/Advert.aspx?RecordID=70a081a2-6d3f-476d-ac30-78418282f94d 

Article 49 states that: The National Commissioner of Police may authorize foreign police officers and security guards to bear arms in the course of their work in Iceland, provided that they work under the direction of the police and comply with these rules on the use of weapons in all respects. The National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police issues special certificates to the party in question. 

Yes. It should be kept in mind that armed foreign individuals are always under the control and escort of Icelandic police officers, whether they are foreign police forces assisting the police or the guards of national leaders. 

As on other days, the assessment of risk of terrible events is always under review. Increased police preparedness is however due to the commitment of the Icelandic state to ensure the safety of the visiting heads of state and not due to an imminent threat of terrorism. Police planning, however, takes into consideration the situation in Europe, national security assessments and information provided by Europol. The National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police will issue a special status assessment based on this information in connection with the meeting. 

Freedom of expression exists in Iceland and everyone has the right to express his or her opinion and to protest. The role of the police is to ensure that everyone can express their opinions in accordance with the law in force. Police recommend that people who wish to gather themselves within the closed area in the city centre do so at Arnarhóll during the meeting. 

Almost all police personnel are involved in this project in one way or another. The police presence in the city centre of Reykjavík can be expected to be very visible during the meeting. 

The summit is organized in such a way that police tasks in connection with the European Council do not have a negative impact on the necessary police response capacity in Iceland. Police patrols throughout the country are fully staffed. Measures have been taken to ensure adequate response in the districts in case a natural hazard or other emergency that requires increased preparedness takes place during the meeting. 

There will not be any increased border checks for the time being, although the introduction of checks at internal borders has been announced for a maximum period from 26 April to 24 May. 

Police will add manpower and increase detection capabilities at borders, and although passengers may experience increased surveillance at the borders around 16 and 17 May, when the European Council takes place, most passengers travelling across the internal borders of the Schengen area to Iceland should not experience delays as a result of this. 

This action does not involve introducing border checks in respect of all passengers and flights into Iceland, but will only be introduced in cases where necessary, following intensive analysis, as has been mentioned previously in the announcement from the Ministry of Justice on the matter. 

See the Schengen Information page for temporary checks at Schengen internal borders: 
https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen-borders-and-visa/schengen-area/temporary-reintroduction-border-control_en 

All drone flights will be prohibited in a large part of the capital area and in the area along Reykjanesbraut. Further information