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EU To Open Membership Talks With Iceland

EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy

EU leaders have announced talks to have Iceland join the European Union should begin, despite political and public desires against it.

Through a statement, leaders in Brussels say that even though Iceland has some structural weaknesses, including in its financial system, the country meets all preconditions set for negotiations.

The announcement comes two days after members from all the parties in the Icelandic parliament, except for the left-leaning Democratic Alliance, formally requested the application for EU membership be withdrawn.

Additionally, a new poll taken by website Andriki.is shows that 58-percent of Icelanders now are against joining the European Union. Members of the Independence and Progressive Parties say the results are not surprising and shows the Red-Green coalition government had its priorities wrong when it applied for membership last year.

The Althing, Icelandic parliament

EU commissioner Olli Rehn said back in January 2009 that Iceland could be fast-tracked into the European Union to help its economy, devastated by the 2008 collapse of it banks. European parliament president Hans-Gert Pottering later called Rehn’s words “bad timing” after they drew considerable outrage.

Parliament voted 33-28 in favor of allowing the Icelandic government to apply for EU membership on July 16th 2009. Two MPs abstained from voting. Iceland sent an application for membership to Brussels shortly after.

Several parliamentarians are now calling for a national referendum on the issue.

Stefan H. Johannesson

British Prime Minister David Cameron warned he could block Icelandic membership to the EU if the country did not meet its debt obligations from the IceSave debacle.

Stefan Haukur Johannesson, Iceland’s chief negotiator with the EU, welcomed the news as “a great day for Iceland,” noting Cameron’s warning to settle the US $4.7 billion (£3.2bn, 3.8bn euros) debt owed to both Britain and Holland.

Icelanders have already voted in a public referendum against paying the debt.

Other issues against joining the EU include Iceland’s fishing and whaling industries.

Formal negotiations are expected to start in late 2010 or early 2011.