Iceland decides to drop EU membership bid

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://rt.com/news/240221-iceland-drop-eu-member/

Iceland decides to drop EU membership bid

- Decision comes amid euroscepticism from the Icelandic public
- Will continue alongside Norway, Lietcchenstein, Switzerland to be involved in the EEA and the independent EFTA.

Iceland has dropped its bid to join the European Union, the Foreign Ministry in Reykjavik says. The announcement follows pledges made by the country’s euro-skeptic government since winning the 2013 election.

Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson, the Icelandic foreign minister, said in a statement that he had informed Latvia, the current EU president, and the European Commission that his center-right government had decided to withdraw its application, which was submitted six years ago.

“The EU and Iceland have discussed the country’s position on the status of its bid to join the European Union,” the statement reads. “The government does not intend to resume preparing for EU membership.”

Prime Minister Sigmundur Davið Gunnlaugsson talked of formally withdrawing the bid in January.

“Participating in EU talks isn’t really valid anymore,” PM Gunnlaugsson told Reykjavík Grapevine at the time. “Both due to changes in the European Union and because it’s not in line with the policies of the ruling government to accept everything that the last government was willing to accept. Because of that, we’re back at square one.”

Iceland applied for EU membership in July 2009, at a time when the global economic crisis was unraveling. By February 2010, the European Commission produced a favorable answer and accession negotiations began in July the same year.

The negotiations came to a stalemate in April 2013, when the election in Iceland was won by the centrist Progress Party, and the conservative Independence Party. When Progress Party’s Gunnlaugsson became prime minister, he froze negotiations with the EU in May 2013.

One of the major issues stalling an agreement was fish catch quotas insisted on by Brussels, something the Icelandic Fishing industry would never have agreed to.

The small island nation, with a population of 325,000, is and will still be a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), the Schengen area and is an EU partner promoting cooperation in northern Europe – meaning it gets many of the advantages of being a full member without many of the negative aspects of centralized EU laws and planning.

If in the future Iceland decides to join the EU, this will be decided only by a referendum, the government said. Iceland will continue to comply with the terms of the EEA and to cooperate with the EU as it has done previously.

A population of only 330,000 and an economy based on fish. Just how do they survive!? There's life outside y'know......

Well done Iceland, hopefully we'll join you and the others in EFTA sometime soon.

Thoughts?

[FlyingJesus]

That's great but WHAT ABOUT WHAT MALTA IS DOING

Edited by Richie (Forum Moderator): Please don't post off-topic, thanks

[The Don]

That's great but WHAT ABOUT WHAT MALTA IS DOING

Yeah but you don't like pretzels!

Edited by Richie (Forum Moderator): Please don't post off-topic, thanks

[FlyingJesus]

Yeah but you don't like pretzels!

I knew you'd pull that card YOU LOT always do but how about you listen to what was said at this different moment


It's not even like fish can feel pain
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/scie...cientists.html

If you look at a fish you will discover it has something called eyes

clever fish can stop bleeding purposely

I have seen fish displaying real Fear

communist

Edited by Richie (Forum Moderator): Please don't post off-topic, thanks

[-:Undertaker:-]

Looks like we'll all reach the target of 100 posts this week at this rate.

Edited by mdport. (Forum Super Moderator): Please don't post off-topic!

[GommeInc]

Being part of the EEA and EFTA is all these countries even need, maybe even all European Countries and no EU. It's more rational and sensible.

Iceland would be crippled by the EU for its small economy. The EU, as we have seen, only cares about large economic countries that enjoy selling and buying goods rather than trading goods for other goods as you see with countries like Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece.