Bjarni Benediktsson, head of the Independence Party, said in an interview with Bændablaðið today that if his party gets into power in a new coalition, then they would make withdrawing Iceland’s application to the European Union a priority.

“Yes, we would make it a priority. As mentioned in my speech [at the Independence Party’s AGM], we consider the current order of priorities to be wrong,” said Bjarni when asked whether the issue would be a requisite for a coalition.

Bjarni goes on to say that he has always been of to the opinion that remaining outside of the EU is in the best interest of Icelanders.

“After the crisis, I thought it right that people remained broad-minded about the debate, considering all options at the time. I am of the opinion that it was right to do that, and that it is of course necessary to assess Iceland’s situation and partnerships with other nations on a regular basis.”

Source: mbl.is
Image: Alþingi

Labels: EU

Kristján Loftsson, director of whaling company Hvalur, is one of many who are currently in Agadir in Morocco, attending the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) annual general meeting. Newsagency AFP says that Kristján does not see a difference between whale hunting and other forms of fishing, “whales are like any other fish.”

Labels: EU, Whaling

According to a report by a journalist for the EU Observer, Dutch officials have managed to “convince” other members of the EU that the Icesave dispute is not simply a bilateral with Iceland on one side and the UK and Netherlands on the other, rather an EU-wide issue which concerns all member states.

Morgunblaðið spoke to Leigh Phillips, the EU Observer journalist, for a short time at the end of the working day in Brussels.

Phillips speaks about Iceland’s application to the EU in an article on the website of the publication, which has been republished on Bloomberg Businessweek’s website. When asked about the headline, “Iceland faces uphill battle to join EU”, Phillips says that it was not him that decided to use it.

Another matter which has been confirmed by acting officials in interviews with José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, is the fact that he has recently registered his concerns about the division of opinion on Iceland’s application to the EU within the country’s political system.

The Icelandic nation and its politicians are completely divided on the issue, with recent opinion polls indicating that roughly half are against and half are for (the opinion polls usually have a variance of  around 10% for/against each time a new one is given out).

Phillips concluded this from a quote by Barroso, where he said that the EU was ready to start formal talks with Iceland over its accession on the proviso that Icelanders stand together on the issue. This was confirmed in interviews with officials, who wished to remain anonymous.

Icelandic speakers can read Morgunblaðið’s interview with Leigh Phillips here, and his blog post on the issue can be read over at Businessweek.

Source: mbl.is
Image: redvers

Labels: EU, Politics

This story broke in UK newspaper The Guardian less than one hour ago, after it emerged this morning that Iceland is clear to begin formal accession talks with the EU.

The UK government has announced that it might decide to block Iceland’s application to the EU until the Icesave dispute is resolved, and the £2.3 billion (€2.75 bn, $3.4 bn) in question is settled. The Netherlands also took the same position as the UK.

UK foreign secretary William Hague stated earlier this week that “Iceland will have to recognise its obligations.” The prime minister of Holland, Jan Peter Balkenende, echoed William Hague’s sentiments in his remarks today. “Before the country becomes a member [of the EU], it needs to fulfil its obligations to the people of Britain and The Netherlands.”

Morgunblaðið also speculates that whaling could be another issue which could come up in negotiations. A few days ago, Germany expressed its wish that Iceland give up whaling in alignment with EU regulations.

Sources: guardian.co.uk, mbl.is
Image: jepoirrier

Labels: EU, icesave

In a reflection of the general sentiment of the EU towards whaling, the Bundestag (German parliament) has laid down its requirement for Iceland’s membership to the EU: that it stop whaling.

“The German parliament expressed in its decision of 22nd April 2010 its full support for formal talks with Iceland, with a view to Iceland acquiring full membership to the EU. At the same time, the parliament expressed its wish for Iceland to reshape itself in terms of [its policy] for the protection of whales, in accord with international and EU law.”

The statement was made today in a memo issued by the deputy German ambassador to Iceland in a meeting with diplomats.

Jón Bjarnason, the Minister for Fisheries and Agriculture, says that Icelandic authorities want to collaborate with the group which is working towards a compromise on whaling. The International Whaling Commission will join the discussions in a meeting in Morocco later this month. Jón goes on to say that Icelandic authorities cannot allow the demands of the EU to interrupt their work.

Labels: EU, Whaling