A delegation of MEPs from the European Parliament visited Iceland on September 7-9 meeting with government ministers, leading people from labour unions and employers and from organisations for and against membership of the European Union. After meeting with the MEPs the leader of the Icelandic no movement, Ásmundur Einar Daðason who also is a member of the Icelandic Parliament, wrote on his Facebook page yesterday:
"Just came from a meeting with members of the European Parliament who are staying in the country. They wanted to meet leading people from the no and yes movements. They seemed very surprised at the great opposition to an Icelandic EU membership. This meeting confirmed what many people have argued that the leaders of the government are not giving the correct picture of the situation of this matter in Iceland."
Source:
Ásmundur Einar Daðason MP's Facebook page
Iceland and the European Union
8/30/2011
64 percent want the EU application withdrawn
New online poll by the radio station Bylgjan (one of the most popular in Iceland) suggests that 64 percent of those either agreeing or disagreeing want the country's application to join the European Union withdrawn. 36 percent want to proceed with it. The results of the poll were published on August 17.
Source:
Bylgjan online poll
Source:
Bylgjan online poll
8/19/2011
The conservatives and liberals want to stop Iceland's accession process
The chairman of the conservative Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn), Bjarni Benediktsson, again stressed in a radio interview earlier this week his party's policy that Iceland's ongoing application to join the European Union should be withdrawn without delay. Asked if he would withdraw it if his party would enter govenment he replied with a firm 'yes'.
In an article in the Icelandic daily Morgunblaðið yesterday the chairman of the liberal Progressive Party (Framsóknarflokkurinn), Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, called for the EU application to be put aside and the accession negotiations stopped while the EU is sorting out its economic difficulties and it becomes clear what the outcome of that will be. His party's policy, accepted earlier this year, firmly states that Iceland's interests are best secured outside the EU.
Next general elections will be held according to schedule in the spring of 2013 if the current fragile center-left coalition government will hold onto power until then. The next government to take power in Iceland is likely to be either a coalition between the Independence Party and the Progressive Party or to involve at least one of the two parties.
According to the latest public opinion polls in Iceland the vast majority of Icelanders both oppose joining the EU and wants to withdraw the application. For over two years now all opinion polls have shown a majority against EU membership.
Sources:
Vill slíta aðildarviðræðum (Mbl.is August 14, 2011)
Vill leggja ESB-umsóknina til hliðar (Mbl.is August 18, 2011)
In an article in the Icelandic daily Morgunblaðið yesterday the chairman of the liberal Progressive Party (Framsóknarflokkurinn), Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, called for the EU application to be put aside and the accession negotiations stopped while the EU is sorting out its economic difficulties and it becomes clear what the outcome of that will be. His party's policy, accepted earlier this year, firmly states that Iceland's interests are best secured outside the EU.
Next general elections will be held according to schedule in the spring of 2013 if the current fragile center-left coalition government will hold onto power until then. The next government to take power in Iceland is likely to be either a coalition between the Independence Party and the Progressive Party or to involve at least one of the two parties.
According to the latest public opinion polls in Iceland the vast majority of Icelanders both oppose joining the EU and wants to withdraw the application. For over two years now all opinion polls have shown a majority against EU membership.
Sources:
Vill slíta aðildarviðræðum (Mbl.is August 14, 2011)
Vill leggja ESB-umsóknina til hliðar (Mbl.is August 18, 2011)
8/11/2011
New poll: Majority as before against EU membership
New opinion poll was published in Iceland today produced by Capacent Gallup for Heimssýn, the Icelandic No movement. According to it 64.5 percent oppose joining the European Union while 35.5 percent favour it measuring only those who either said yes or no.
In a similar poll produced by Capacent Gallup for Heimssýn in June 57.3 percent rejected EU membership while 42.7 percent favoured it. According to that opposition to joining the EU has increased this summer while support for membership has declined.
For more than two years every single opinion poll in Iceland has shown vast majority of Icelanders opposed to EU membership.
Source:
Vaxandi andstaða við aðild að ESB (Mbl.is August 11, 2011)
In a similar poll produced by Capacent Gallup for Heimssýn in June 57.3 percent rejected EU membership while 42.7 percent favoured it. According to that opposition to joining the EU has increased this summer while support for membership has declined.
For more than two years every single opinion poll in Iceland has shown vast majority of Icelanders opposed to EU membership.
Source:
Vaxandi andstaða við aðild að ESB (Mbl.is August 11, 2011)
6/30/2011
Majority of Icelanders wants to withdraw the EU application
The majority of Icelanders want to withdraw Iceland's application to join the European Union according to a fresh opinion poll produced by Capacent Gallup for Heimssýn, the Icelandic No-movement.
51 percent favour withdrawal of the application, 38.5 percent want to carry on with it, and 10.5 percent have not made up their minds. If only those in favour or opposed to withdrawing the application are
counted about 57 percent want to withdraw it.
The question asked was: "How much are you in favour of or opposed to Iceland withdrawing its application for membership of the European Union?" The poll was carried out June 16-23 and 820 people were asked.
Source:
Meirihluti vill draga ESB-umsóknina til baka (Mbl.is June 30, 2011)
51 percent favour withdrawal of the application, 38.5 percent want to carry on with it, and 10.5 percent have not made up their minds. If only those in favour or opposed to withdrawing the application are
counted about 57 percent want to withdraw it.
The question asked was: "How much are you in favour of or opposed to Iceland withdrawing its application for membership of the European Union?" The poll was carried out June 16-23 and 820 people were asked.
Source:
Meirihluti vill draga ESB-umsóknina til baka (Mbl.is June 30, 2011)
3/17/2011
Continued majority against EU membership in Iceland
The vast majority of Icelanders are still opposed to joining the European Union according to a new opinion poll published today, March 17, in the business newspaper Viðskiptablaðið. 55.7 percent oppose EU membership while 30 percent favour the step. 14.2 percent are uncertain.
A recent poll by Capacent published on March 10 put the opposition to EU membership at 50.5 percent, the support at 31.4 percent and the uncertain at 18 percent.
The last poll before that was published by Capacent in July 2010 putting the opposition at 60 percent, the support at 26 percent and those uncertain at 14 percent.
Every poll published in Iceland since August 2009, made by different polling companies, has shown a large majority of Icelanders against joining the EU and only about 1/3 in favour.
Source:
Viðskiptablaðið March 17, 2011
A recent poll by Capacent published on March 10 put the opposition to EU membership at 50.5 percent, the support at 31.4 percent and the uncertain at 18 percent.
The last poll before that was published by Capacent in July 2010 putting the opposition at 60 percent, the support at 26 percent and those uncertain at 14 percent.
Every poll published in Iceland since August 2009, made by different polling companies, has shown a large majority of Icelanders against joining the EU and only about 1/3 in favour.
Source:
Viðskiptablaðið March 17, 2011
11/14/2010
Less than 18 percent want the current government
According to a new opinion poll by the polling company MMR published November 11 less than 18 percent want the current left wing government in Iceland, which applied for membership of the European Union in 2009, to continue governing the country. The rest wants other froms of governments or is uncertain.
Source:
The MMR poll
Source:
The MMR poll
11/13/2010
Growing EU division in the Icelandic government
There seem to be growing divisions in the Icelandic government over the application for membership of the European Union delivered in the summer of 2009. Today the Minister of Justice, Ögmundur Jónasson, (from the Left Green Movement) says in an article in the Icelandic daily Morgunblaðið that he wants the accession negotiations to be concluded in two months time and the referendum to take place in the wake of that.
Jónasson also says in the article that this is possible if the accession process will be stripped down to "real negotiations" as he phrased it with no alignment to EU laws and administration as the EU demands alongside the talks. Jónasson voted in favour of the EU application in 2009 despite being opposed to membership. In a media interview today he said that he did not vote in favour of an alignment of Iceland to EU demands.
Source:
Vill ljúka aðildaviðræðum á tveimur mánuðum (Vísir.is November 13, 2010)
Jónasson also says in the article that this is possible if the accession process will be stripped down to "real negotiations" as he phrased it with no alignment to EU laws and administration as the EU demands alongside the talks. Jónasson voted in favour of the EU application in 2009 despite being opposed to membership. In a media interview today he said that he did not vote in favour of an alignment of Iceland to EU demands.
Source:
Vill ljúka aðildaviðræðum á tveimur mánuðum (Vísir.is November 13, 2010)
11/11/2010
Says the government has no intention to join the EU
Bjarni Benediktsson, chairman of Iceland's Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn), the largest opposition party and the country's largest political part according to opinion polls, said in a radio interview on November 7 that the government should simply tell the European Union the truth, that in reality there is no meaning behind the accession process on the government's behalf.
"I think this is stranded at the moment. Very little is really happening. Despite the commitment by the [leadership of the] Left Green Movement to support the accession process they are stalling it every week. Then it is much cleaner simply to tell the people on the other end: We don't mean anything with this," Benediktsson said.
He said to his opinion it was a wrong move for the government to apply for EU membership.
Source:
Meinum ekkert með þessu (Mbl.is November 7, 2010)
"I think this is stranded at the moment. Very little is really happening. Despite the commitment by the [leadership of the] Left Green Movement to support the accession process they are stalling it every week. Then it is much cleaner simply to tell the people on the other end: We don't mean anything with this," Benediktsson said.
He said to his opinion it was a wrong move for the government to apply for EU membership.
Source:
Meinum ekkert með þessu (Mbl.is November 7, 2010)
11/09/2010
Only 30 percent now support Iceland's government
New public opinion poll in Iceland produced by Capacent shows that only 30 percent now support the country's center-left government led by the Social Democratic Alliance (Samfylkingin), which is the only Icelandic political party that favours joining the European Union. The SDA got almost 30 percent in the general elections in April 2009 but now has only 18 percent according to the poll.
Meanwhile the conservative Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn) now has 36 percent and is by far the largest political party in Iceland according to polls in recent months. Traditionally the party has been Iceland's largest party for decades but it lost that status briefly after the 2008 financial crash in Iceland. The party has the policy thatthe country's ongoing EU application should be withdrawn immediately.
Source:
Fylgi ríkisstjórnarinnar hrynur (Mbl.is November 1, 2010)
Meanwhile the conservative Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn) now has 36 percent and is by far the largest political party in Iceland according to polls in recent months. Traditionally the party has been Iceland's largest party for decades but it lost that status briefly after the 2008 financial crash in Iceland. The party has the policy thatthe country's ongoing EU application should be withdrawn immediately.
Source:
Fylgi ríkisstjórnarinnar hrynur (Mbl.is November 1, 2010)
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