The Parliament of Iceland voted today in favour of applying for membership of the European Union. This follows a resolution proposal submitted by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ossur Skarphedinsson, to Parliament on 28 May 2009, in which the Parliament mandates the Icelandic Government to put forward an application. The resolution passed with 33 in favour, 28 against, and 2 abstentions. Parliamentarians from all five political parties voted in favor of the resolution.
The opinion submitted with the resolution states that the Government shall be guided by the majority opinion of the Foreign Affairs Committee on working methods and matters of important interests in its preparation and organization for future EU accession negotiations.
“This is a historic day for Iceland,” said Foreign Minister Skarphedinsson. “As a European nation already deeply integrated into European structures as a member of EFTA (1970) and of the EU´s internal market through the Agreement on the European Economic Area (1994), we now look forward to taking the next logical step, in close cooperation with our European partners.”
(Press release from Iceland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs)
[…] Icelandic Foreign ministry on European Union accession negotiations vote […]
no, Peter. He’s right so EU must stop every payment to Italy as well *grim smile*
What a waste of money since ’50s.
Balkanson
“to the EU mafia. Say NO to EU and NO to these politicians!”
Ironic that you compare the EU to the Mafia when the EU has stopped payments to Bulgaria because the country is in the complete control of its Mafia.
Don’t like that the EU stands up to your gang, eh?
In spite of all those nasty remarks about the EU I must say life is not bad here at all. I do not feel oppressed by Brussels and over my lifetime [I am 56 years old] I have seen tremendous progress here in Europe because of the EU. Of course the EU is not perfect, but what organisation is?
There have been press reports here about strong opposition to Icelandic membership being voiced by many members of the European Parliament. The general feeling is “they never wanted to join the EU, and now all of a sudden they do. This must be because they want our help and after we have helped them they will tell us to go to hell”. There is a feeling that the Icelanders will behave very much like the British have done. After all, they are also an island nation and islanders tend to be extremely self-centered [culturally] and deeply suspicious folk.
The British were begging to join the EU in the seventies, when they were in deep s*** economically, and we were stupid enough to allow them in. Now they stand on the sidelines as much as they can and they consistently try to block all progress. Britain signed up to the Rome treaty and that treaty specifically states that member countries untertake to “work towards an ever closer union”. So much for the value of Her Majesty’s Government’s signature….
Back to Iceland: don’t count on the EU wanting you to join anytime soon! If you wish to join because you want to be part of the European family — fine. In that case you Icelanders are more than welcome. If you only want to join because the EU will help you and after that you’ll join the British in their national pastime of EU bashing, please stay out…
Foreign Minister Skarphedinsson should lose some weight before he talks.
Do not allow for the next time after the bankers these peace-of-nothing politicians to sell Iceland, the most incredible country in the world, to the EU mafia. Say NO to EU and NO to these politicians!
The problem with this application that has been made — it is not supported by the majority of people of Iceland.
What happen is that when discusions about EU get into detail Icelanders become more and more sure that EU member ship is not for them. This always happens in the debating about EU.
This Social Democrats are getting themself further and further away from people of Iceland and you can be sure that after this putting of politicial power first and not his principle Steingrímur and his party is toast.
All that support he had is now on it way back to Independence Party. Be assured of that.
I are and been busy busy and probably you not here more posts from me for a while.
I hope you will hear plenty from Bjarni though.
>The fact that Britain is part of the EU is reason enough to avoid the EU like the plague. First they bankrupt us.
Oooh. Evil Britain. Of course, that ignores the fact that two out of three Icelandic banks had collapsed before the UK government got involved.
Face it. Iceland bankrupted Iceland.
Even if Kaupthing had somehow survived and the UK government hadn’t frozen Landsbanki assets, the Icesave debt would still exist. The fact of its existence is not the UK’s fault, so the only way you can be pissed off at the UK over it is if you think the UK (and presumably the Netherlands) should forgive Iceland’s debt just because Iceland is a special case.
The European Union is nothing more than a greedy, expansionist dicatorship.
The fact that Britain is part of the EU is reason enough to avoid the EU like the plague. First they bankrupt us. Then they treat us like terrorists, just so they can squeze every last krona out of our desperatly fragile economy. Britain is the greatest enemy Iceland has ever known, a permanant black cloud in our blue sky. Joining the EU will let that black cloud complettly blacken out our sky. These are dark days for Iceland. We must make a stand and fight agaisnt this travesty if we are to save our beloved nation!
Icelanders will have to vote in a referendum anyway. So I guess we won’t see Iceland in EU anytime soon.
Surely, it’s polite to settle ones bar bill, on terms satisfactory to club members, before applying to join?
Perhaps, that’s the purpose of the Russian loan?
Sorry – reading Gummi – you have to larf!
[…] View original post here: Icelandic Foreign ministry on European Union accession … […]
WELL, ICELANDERS ARE WILLING TO PLAY WITH ANY WINNING TEAM. BUT TODAY THEY SAID THEY WANT TO APPLY FOR ADMISSION IN THE EU. THAT WILL SURELY MAKE THE RUSSIANS TAKE THE LOAN BACK AND DON*T LEND MONEY TO ICELAND.
ICELAND’S ISOLATION FROM THE REST OF WESTERN EUROPE HAS A VERY HIGH PRICE, AND NO ONE, NOT EVEN THE RUSSIANS,WANT TO PAY ICELAND’S BILLS IF IT IS NOT FOR GETTING SOMETHING BACK.
WELCOME TO THE EU, IT IS THAT OR MISERY AND STARVATION