Posts tagged as:

Iceland EU talks

On being bought and paid for by the EU

June 25, 2010

Here in Iceland there exists a narrow group of right-wing extremists who go to all sorts of lengths to propagate scaremongering and misinformation about various issues, including Iceland’s proposed membership to the European Union. These people are primarily the so-called quota kings and people close to the Independence Party who have held power in Iceland [...]

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Iceland, the EU and that pesky rebellious streak

June 23, 2010

The Financial Times has a good piece today on Iceland’s potential [or more likely non, according to the article] membership to the European Union. So Icelandic entry into the EU is far from automatic.  It is a well-off, well-organised, law-abiding, creative society, and in this sense Iceland is far ahead of other countries queuing up to [...]

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EU formally approves accession negotiations with Iceland

June 18, 2010

So, as had been expected, the European Council voted yesterday to open negotiations with Iceland for accession to the European Union. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs sent out a press release in which it points out the obvious: that Iceland is already a member of the internal market of the EEA and a participant in [...]

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Of June 17 and rescinding the EU application

June 14, 2010

So an MP for the Independence Party, Unnur Brá Konráðsdóttir, along with several other MPs, is currently preparing a parliamentary resolution that would have Iceland rescind its application to the European Union. Meanwhile, Bloomberg has a draft declaration from the upcoming meeting which states that Iceland’s accession application will be approved at a meeting of [...]

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Of misinformation, fearmongering and the European Union

June 1, 2010

As many of you will know, last week our YT travelled to Brussels in order to check out the European Union. It was at the EU’s expense, and as far as I can tell these trips for “stakeholders” happen as a matter of course when a country has applied for membership to the Union. Quite [...]

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Off to Brussels on important business

May 24, 2010

Tomorrow I’m heading to Brussels along with 12 other journos and bloggers to have a gander around the European Union headquarters. As many of you will know, Iceland has made a bid to join the EU and accession talks are set to begin soon. I suppose this visit is standard procedure in such cases — [...]

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“This is where Iceland could be very useful”

February 26, 2010

An article that appeared on The Guardian website yesterday has a pretty astute take on the Iceland-EU situation. Surely of interest to anyone who wonders what on earth the EU could possibly want with Iceland. Despite the banking dispute, many leaders across Europe are keen to see Iceland in the union because of its strategic [...]

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The Civic Movement falls from grace

July 17, 2009

Predictably, the EU membership talks vote has been the issue of the day here in Niceland. Generally I have the sense that people are pleased, although of course there are specific interest groups that are vehemently opposed – most notably those in the fisheries industry, and in agriculture. I must say, though, that I am [...]

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BREAKING NEWS: Iceland to enter into talks with the EU

July 16, 2009

The Icelandic parliament, Althingi, has just passed a resolution to enter into membership talks with the European Union, with 33 votes in favour, 28 opposed, and two abstaining. The debate has been dragging on for days. [Or, depending on how you look at it, years.] There is massive controversy over the issue, even within the [...]

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