The European Movement in Iceland hasn't said one word (when this is written) on its website about the current crises in the EU or the results in the French and Dutch referendums which took place about three weeks ago. Of course much wasn't expected from the pro-EU movement on this but this is much less than that.Almost the only response we have had from the Europhiles is one article on the internet mainly focused on saying that in most cases those who question the EU integration are some extremists, either to the left or the right, and that opposition to the EU is primarily founded on xenophobia and isolationism. In other words the same old empty phrases the Europhiles use all over Europe when they don't have any other arguments - which seems to be quite often to say the least.
In addition to that we have had one short response from the chairman of the European Movement in Iceland, Andrés Pétursson, which is all that has come from that organisation. However, this response has not been mentioned on the movement's website by some reason. It came in an interview in the Icelandic newspaper Morgunblaðið on June 8. There he said that the rejection of the EU constitution in France and the Netherlands was positive for the pro-EU movement in Iceland since the constitution would have ment more centralisation for the EU, less flexibility and less chance for Iceland to get favourable agreement with the Union in case of membership negotiations. He has never said this before.
The same goes for Össur Skarphéðinsson, the former chairman of the Social Democratic Alliance, the only Icelandic political party in favour of EU membership. He said a few days ago on his personal website that the constitution would have made it harder for the pro-EU movement to get Iceland into the EU. This he said was especially because of the constitution's articles stating that the Union is to have in fact full competence over the fisheries. He had never said this before either until the French rejected the constitution.
Now the million dollar question is whether those two will stand by their statement in case the EU constitution will in the end be adopted in one way or another? I actually have no reason to expect that.
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A big blow for the pro-EU movement in Iceland!