10/19/2010

Only about 18 percent trust the European Union

According to a new opinion poll by the polling company MMR only 17.9 percent of Icelanders trust the European Union while 53.5 percent do not trust it. If those neutral are not taken into the picture about 75 percent do not trust the EU.

Source:
The MMR poll

10/15/2010

Iceland's government unlikely to finish EU membership negotiations says a member of the government's negotiating team

"The current government will very unlikely finish the membership negotiations with the European Union. That will only happen through a powerful leadership from the center and right wing of the [Icelandic] politics," said Þorsteinn Pálsson, former Prime Minister of Iceland and former chairman of the conservative Independence Party, in a speech on last October 6. Pálsson is also a member of the current center-left government's team with the task of negotiating EU membership which make his comment even more interesting.

The Independence Party, which is currently leading the opposition, has the policy not only to oppose membership of the EU but that the application for membership shall be withdrawn immediately.

Source:
Þorsteinn Pálsson's speech (in Icelandic)

10/12/2010

Only 25 percent want the euro

New internet poll by the Icelandic radio station Bylgjan suggests that only 25 percent of Icelanders want to replace the national currency, the króna, with the euro. This is about the same percentage that wants to join the EU according to repeated opinion polls over the past twelve months. At the same time 44 percent want to keep the króna in one way or another, either pegged to the US dollar or the euro or not. Also according to the poll 26 percent want to adopt the dollar as Iceland's currency.

Source:
Hvað vilt þú gera í gjaldmiðilsmálum landsins? (Bylgjan.is October 12, 2010)