tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80179292024-02-28T07:21:05.618+00:00Iceland and the European UnionUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-63550994175423640182014-05-11T22:48:00.002+00:002014-05-11T22:49:27.307+00:00Considers the EU accession talks over"The matter has already been put aside and the only remaining thing to do was in fact to say to the European Union: This government considers these talks over. And getting the approval of the parliament is in fact just a formality."<br />
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Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson Iceland's Foreign Minister said this today in a radio interview. His resolution to formally withdraw the EU application will not pass through parliament before the summer break. Mainly because of a filibuster from the opposition and also because other issues were seen as more urgent by the government. Mainly issues concerning the debts of Icelandic households and the fish industry.<br />
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The government in other words considers the EU accession talks over. Sveinsson said he was ready to put forward a new resolution next autumn when the parliament meets again. But in the opinion of the government doing so is just a formality since the resolution that paved the way for the EU application in 2009 is not legally binding and can only politically bind the parliament that accepts it.<br />
<br />
<b>Source:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.visir.is/segir-afdrif-tillogunar-ekki-snautleg-fyrir-sig/article/2014140519915" target="_blank">Segir afdrif tillögunar ekki snautleg fyrir sig</a> (Vísir.is May 11, 2014)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-8850929543503509462013-05-11T10:10:00.002+00:002013-05-11T10:33:16.116+00:00EU membership rejected in general electionsPolitical parties opposed to the idea of joining the European Union are expected to form the next government of Iceland in the wake of the general elections on April 27. Talks to form a center-right coalition government by the conservative Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn) and the centrist Progressive Party (Framsóknarflokkurinn) are ongoing and said to be progressing well.<br />
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The Social Democratic Alliance (Samfylkingin), which formed the outgoing coalition withe the Left Green Movement (Vinstrihreyfingin - grænt framboð) and was mainly responsible for delivereing the EU membership application in 2009, repeatedly claimed during the election campaign that the only way to ensure that the accession process would continue was to vote for the party.<br />
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The Social Democratic Alliance got 12.9 percent of the votes in the general elections compared to 29.8 percent in the last elections in 2009. It is the biggest defeat a political party has suffered in Iceland since the country became a republic in 1944. The elections' results are as a consequence considered a rejection by the voters of the the accession process to the EU that started in 2009.<br />
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Since 2009 every single opinion poll published has shown around 2/3 of Icelanders opposed to joining the EU but for Iceland to become a member it will have to be accepted in a referendum. The political parties expected to form the next government both have the policy of stopping the accession talks with the EU and as a result that will probably be the outcome of their coalition talks.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-5061715062154580132013-02-23T21:51:00.004+00:002013-02-24T10:36:58.948+00:00Want to stop the EU accession talksIceland's conservative Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn), the country's by far largest party according to polls (32-39 percent), restated its previous policy at its national congress this weekend that the EU accession negotiations should be stopped. The policy also says that for the issue to be addressed again there would have to be a clear will among the people for EU membership and it would have to be accepted in a special referendum.<br />
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The chairman of the Independence Party, Bjarni Benediktsson, today stressed that this policy, however, put no obligation on the party to hold such a referendum and by that revisit the issue. The interference of the EU delegation to Iceland in the domestic discussion on EU membership is furthermore protested and the policy that the EU Info Centres in the capital city of Reykjavík and the northern town of Akureyri should be closed was also accepted.<br />
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The Independence Party is widely expected to be the leading party of the next government after the general elections in Iceland in late April this year. Previously the Progressive Party (Framsóknarflokkurinn), which has been gaining increased support in recent polls (15-20 percent), had accepted similar policy regarding the EU accession talks at its national congress two weeks earlier.<br />
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Two-thirds of Icelanders have been against joining the EU according to every single opinion poll published in Iceland since the summer of 2009 or for more than three and a half year. According to the latest one published on February 13 some 63.3 percent oppose EU membership while less than a quarter support
it or 24.2 percent.<br />
<br />
<b>Source:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.ruv.is/frett/vilja-haetta-adildarvidraedum" target="_blank">Vilja hætta aðildarviðræðum</a> (Rúv.is February 23, 2013)<br />
<br />
<b>See also:</b><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2013/02/most-icelanders-continue-to-reject-eu.html" target="_blank">Most Icelanders continue to reject EU membership </a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-11389557349911553442013-02-14T21:29:00.002+00:002013-02-14T21:29:32.900+00:00Most Icelanders continue to reject EU membershipMore than two thirds of Icelanders would vote against joining the European Union if a referendum would be held on the matter according to a new opinion poll published yesterday by the Icelandic polling company MMR.<br />
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According to the poll 63.3 percent now oppose EU membership while less than a quarter support it or 24.2 percent. If only those who said yes or no are measured more than 72 percent would reject joining the bloc in a referendum.<br />
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Large majority of Icelanders has now rejected EU membership according to every single opinion poll published in Iceland since the summer of 2009 or for more than three and a half year.<br />
<br />
<b>Source:</b><br /><a href="http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2013/02/13/63_3_prosent_andvig_inngongu_i_esb/" target="_blank">63,3% andvíg inngöngu í ESB</a> (Mbl.is February 13, 2013)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-81417531720299629012013-01-05T00:59:00.004+00:002013-01-05T01:13:55.243+00:00Minister says EU application must be reconsideredThe application to join the European Union must be reconsidered in light of a changed situation. This Steingrímur J. Sigfússon, Iceland's Minister for Industries and Innovation and chairman of the Left Green Movement, said in a New Year's greeting to his fellow party members on January 2. <br />
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Sigfússon said it was now „inevitable“ to reconsider the accession talks with the EU claiming the situation had changed as it was now obvious the talks would not be finished before the general elections scheduled in April this year. Furthermore he said the task over the next weeks was to decide how and when the Icelandic people would be asked for a guidence on how to address the matter.<br />
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By that Sigfússon was referring to a referendum asking the people if they want to continue with the EU application or put it aside. Support for such a referendum has been growing in Iceland among the political class and a recent opinion poll showed large majority for scrapping the application. There is also a large majority against EU membership and has been in every poll published in Iceland since August 2009.<br />
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Sigfússon's party is in government with the Social Democratic Alliance which favours EU membership while his own party, the Left Green Movement, is opposed to membership according to its policy. The leadership of the Left Greens, however, decided to allow the EU application in 2009 in order to form a government with the social democrats.<br />
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Since allowing the EU application the Left Green Movement has lost more than half its votes according to polls and three of the 14 MPs they got elected in the last general elections. The reason is primarily considered to be the party's decision to allow the application in 2009 and support it ever since.<br />
<br />
<b>Source:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2013/01/03/oumflyjanlegt_ad_endurmeta_stoduna/" target="_blank">Óumflýjanlegt að endurmeta stöðuna</a> (Mbl.is January 3, 2013)<br />
<br />
<b>See also:</b><br />
<span id="goog_1094953685"></span><a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/12/want-application-on-ice.htmlt%20would%20reject%20EU%20membership" target="_blank">Want the EU application on ice</a><span id="goog_1094953686"></span><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/12/wants-to-slow-down-eu-accession.html" target="_blank">Wants to slow down the EU accession</a><a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/11/majority-wants-to-scrap-eu-application.html" target="_blank"><br />Majority wants to scrap the EU application</a><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/10/majority-against-eu-membership-for.html" target="_blank">Majority against EU membership for three years</a><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/05/business-leaders-against-eu-membership.html" target="_blank">Iceland's business leaders reject EU membership</a><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/03/icelands-industry-turns-against-eu.html" target="_blank">Iceland's industry turns against EU membership</a><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/02/67-percent-would-reject-eu-membership.html" target="_blank">67 percent would reject EU membership</a> <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-67537785958794385922012-12-18T14:36:00.002+00:002012-12-18T14:52:36.881+00:00Want the application on iceThe majority of the Foreign Committee of the Icelandic parliament put forth a proposal this morning calling for Iceland's application to join the European Union to be set aside. The matter then should not be addressed again unless accepted in a referendum.<br />
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The majority was formed by the representatives of the Independence Party, the Progressive Party, which are in opposition, and Jón Bjarnason, MP for the Left Green Movement and former Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, but his party is part of the governing coalition. The proposal will be put to the parliament in order to find out if the majority of the MPs will support it.<br />
<br />
Earlier this month Árni Þór Sigurðsson, MP for the Left Greens and chairman of the Foreign Committe, said that he wanted to <a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/12/wants-to-slow-down-eu-accession.html" target="_blank">slow down Iceland's accession process</a> to the EU until after the general elections scheduled in April next year. A new government would then have the task of decided whether to carry on with the process or not. He is, however, not expected to support the proposal.<br />
<br />
<b>Source:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2012/12/18/vidraedurnar_verdi_settar_a_is/" target="_blank">Viðræðurnar við ESB verði settar á ís</a> (Mbl.is December 18, 2012)<br />
<br />
<b>See also:</b><a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/12/wants-to-slow-down-eu-accession.html" target="_blank"><br />Wants to slow down the EU accession</a><a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/11/majority-wants-to-scrap-eu-application.html" target="_blank"><br />Majority wants to scrap the EU application</a><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/10/majority-against-eu-membership-for.html" target="_blank">Majority against EU membership for three years</a><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/05/business-leaders-against-eu-membership.html" target="_blank">Iceland's business leaders reject EU membership</a><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/03/icelands-industry-turns-against-eu.html" target="_blank">Iceland's industry turns against EU membership</a><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/02/67-percent-would-reject-eu-membership.html" target="_blank">67 percent would reject EU membership</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-62342613075537349202012-12-07T14:57:00.002+00:002012-12-07T19:32:10.398+00:00Wants to slow down the EU accessionThe chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the Icelandic parliament, Árni Þór Sigurðsson, told the Icelandic media yesterday that he thought that Iceland's accession to the European Union should be slowed down until after the general elections scheduled in April next year and even put aside.<br />
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Sigurðsson is an MP for the Left Green Movement and a senior member of the party which forms the current Icelandic government with the Social Democratic Alliance. The SDA is the only political party in Iceland that favours EU membership.<br />
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He stressed that this was so far only an opinion and no decision had been made on the matter. However, this was directly liked to similar opinions raised last autumn by himself and a couple of Left Green ministers in the government.<br />
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Sigurðsson also said that after the elections in April a newly elected parliament could then possibly take a new decision whether to continue with the accession process or not. His comments are seen by many as a desperate move because of the elections.<br />
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The Left Green leadership decided to allow the EU application in 2009 in order to form a government with the social democrats despite the fact their party is opposed to membership according to its platform. The decision has among other things resulted in the Left Greens loosing about haft the votes they got in the last elections according to polls.<br />
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Meanwhile, primaries of the political parties so far are seen as suggesting that the next parliament will be more eurosceptic than the current one. Egill Helgason, a talk show host on the national broadcaster RÚV and a known supporter of EU membership, wrote on his blog in November:<br />
<br />
"As we get results from more primaries and the forming of lists of candidates EU membership for Iceland becomes more distant. If it would have been hard to get it through the current parliament it will be almost impossible at the next one."<br />
<br />
Vast majority of Icelanders oppose EU membership and have according to every opinion poll published in Iceland for more than three years. The majority also does not want to adopt the euro and wants the EU application withdrwan.<br />
<br />
<b>Sources:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2012/12/06/ferlid_jafnvel_lagt_til_hlidar/" target="_blank">Ferlið jafnvel lagt til hliðar</a> (Mbl.is December 6, 2012)<br />
<a href="http://eyjan.pressan.is/silfuregils/2012/11/26/esb-adildin-fjarlaegist-i-profkjorum/" target="_blank">ESB-aðildin fjarlægist í prófkjörum</a> (Eyjan.is November 26, 2012)<br />
<br />
<b>See also:</b><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/11/majority-wants-to-scrap-eu-application.html" target="_blank">Majority wants to scrap the EU application</a><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/10/majority-against-eu-membership-for.html" target="_blank">Majority against EU membership for three years</a><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/05/business-leaders-against-eu-membership.html" target="_blank">Iceland's business leaders reject EU membership</a><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/03/icelands-industry-turns-against-eu.html" target="_blank">Iceland's industry turns against EU membership</a><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/02/67-percent-would-reject-eu-membership.html" target="_blank">67 percent would reject EU membership</a><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-63025466799955243862012-11-12T10:12:00.000+00:002012-11-12T13:45:11.800+00:00Majority wants to scrap the EU applicationMost Icelanders want to withdraw their country's application to join the European Union according to a new public opinion poll produced by Capacent Gallup for Heimssýn, the Icelandic movement opposed to EU membership, and published today.<br />
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53.5 percent want to scrap the EU application according to the poll while 36.4 percent wish to maintain it. The rest was uncertain. If only those in favour of withdrawing the application or opposed to it are counted 59.5 percent want the application scrapped while 40.5 percent want to carry on with it.<br />
<br />
Similar poll was produced by Capacent Gallup for Heimssýn in June 2011 where 51 percent wanted to withdraw the EU application while 38.5 percent were opposed to that. According to that support for scrapping the application has grown while oppositon to that has decreased. <br />
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The difference between this outcome and polls about whether or not Icelanders want to actually join the EU is due to the fact that a small part of those opposed to membership want to the issue to go to an eventual referendum and be rejected by the people.<br />
<br />
<b>Source:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2012/11/12/fjolgar_sem_vilja_afturkalla_esb_umsoknina/" target="_blank">Þeim fjölgar sem vilja afturkalla ESB-umsóknina</a> (Mbl.is November 12, 2012)<br />
<br />
<b>See also:</b><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/10/majority-against-eu-membership-for.html" target="_blank">Majority against EU membership for three years</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-61802636124154642952012-10-15T13:28:00.005+00:002012-10-15T13:47:57.935+00:00Majority against EU membership for three yearsMost Icelanders have opposed joining the European Union for more than three years now according to every single opinion poll which has been published in the country regardless of who has produced it or for whom.<br />
<br />
The newest opinion poll was published today by Capacent Gallup and according to it 57.6 percent of Icelanders are against EU membership while 27.3 percent support it. The rest is undecided. If only those in favour or opposed are measured about 68 percent ara against joining the EU and 32% in favour of the step.<br />
<br />
Compared to the poll produced before the current poll the opposition has increased by 3.8 percent, from 53.8 percent to 57.6 percent as it is now. The support has on the other hand remained about the same. According to the poll those against EU membership are much more firm in their opinion with most supporters of joining the EU only saying the are rather much in favour.<br />
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The poll also found that large majority of the voters of all the major political parties in Iceland are opposed to EU membership except for the Social Democratic Alliance (Samfylkingin) which heads the current coalition government in Iceland and is the only political party in favour of joining the bloc. Which in turn is the sole reason why the EU application his being maintained.<br />
<br />
The newest opinion poll in Iceland on Icelanders attitude towards the euro from earlier this year also show most Icelanders opposed to adopting it instead of the Icelandic króna and the newest poll on the nations view of the EU application shows majority in favour of withdrawing it.<br />
<br />
<b>Source:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2012/10/15/mikill_meirihluti_andvigur_adild_ad_esb/" target="_blank">Mikill meirihluti andvígur aðild að ESB</a> (Mbl.is October 15, 2012)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-75617765202390545702012-08-13T13:39:00.000+00:002012-08-13T13:40:37.313+00:00Social democrats worried about the EU applicationThe <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-Green_Movement" target="_blank">Left Green Movement</a> must stick to the government pact which includes continued support for Iceland's application to join the European Union. If they do not that will mean the end of the current center-left government in Iceland led by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Democratic_Alliance" target="_blank">Social Democratic Alliance</a>. This is the reaction by the leaders of Iceland's social democrats to claims from leading people within the Left Green Movement <a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/08/want-eu-application-reconsidered.html" target="_blank">over the weekend</a> that the application should be reconsidered.<br />
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The media in Iceland, including the state broadcaster RUV and the prominent newspaper Morgunblaðið, claim the majority of the Left Green MPs and government ministers are in favour of reconsidering the EU application. According to their platform the Left Greens are opposed to EU membership but the party allowed the application after the 2009 general elections in order to be able to form a government with the Social Democratic Alliance which is the only political party in Iceland that favours joining the EU.<br />
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The Left Greens have lost about half the votes they got in 2009 according to repeated opinion polls and fear facing the voters before the general elections scheduled next spring if they do not turn against the EU application. There are also growing calls among the social democrats that perhaps it would be wise to put the EU application on ice or even scrap it all together due to the unpopularity of the matter among the Icelandic electorate but at least 2/3 of them would reject joining the EU in a referendum according to opinion polls.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-9453622615250867012012-08-12T10:25:00.002+00:002012-08-12T10:41:24.831+00:00Want the EU application reconsidered<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKaMYubccdHbGU2c5mCPccLiuERN5BZn4yfkdxPklQIRKxNRJwChrRk6sdK4Gy_oc5cR4aCrgUB967N4L-i5Li1LpT69mDeiq5UzAnJMGK4rXE_7gkvLdHVY3gwOh0syKdMWQ2fA/s1600/mynd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKaMYubccdHbGU2c5mCPccLiuERN5BZn4yfkdxPklQIRKxNRJwChrRk6sdK4Gy_oc5cR4aCrgUB967N4L-i5Li1LpT69mDeiq5UzAnJMGK4rXE_7gkvLdHVY3gwOh0syKdMWQ2fA/s1600/mynd.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Katrín Jakobsdóttir</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Leading people in the junior coalition partner of Iceland's government, the Left Green Movement, including the vice-chairman and at least most of their ministers and MPs believe the country's EU application should be reconsidered. This was the first news story in the evening news of Iceland's state broadcaster RUV last night Saturday.<br />
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RUV talked to both Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Minister of Education, Science and Culture and vice-chairman of the Left Green Movement, and Svandís Svavarsdóttir, Minister for the Environment, who both claimed the EU application should be reconsidered. The state broadcaster also said it also got similar reactions from most of the MPs of the party.<br />
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According to RUV's news story the Left Greens are worried that their party will suffer greatly if they carry on allowing the EU accession process as they have done since 2009 when the application was delivered. They also claim that many things have changed since three years ago citing the eurozone economic problems and uncertainty where the EU is heading.<br />
<br />
The policy of the Left Greens is opposition to EU membership but they allowed the application after the 2009 general elections in order to form a government with the Social Democratic Alliance, the only political party in Iceland favouring membership.<br />
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According to opinion polls in Iceland more than 2/3 would reject EU membership in a referendum but for the country to join the bloc it would first have to be accepted by a popular vote. Furthermore the Left Greens have lost half the votes they got in 2009 accoring to opinion polls.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ruv.is/frett/margir-i-vg-vilja-taka-esb-upp-a-ny" target="_blank">RUV's news story</a> (in Icelandic)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-430908742590158072012-07-02T21:35:00.000+00:002012-08-12T10:37:01.546+00:00Iceland's eurosceptic president re-elected<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8oNDlW1lL2cyYjK0Q1j9UNAnNkP-1-7HhsWh5uuHYMiiAVaGTxFcqLY27b1aXfH3eFdN9ajIJo8HtgYGKOkhV7Hl6oX1GGljGIZbVk1tEhPDpAeLLuzlZvkq2brTIL-WeHfVHYg/s1600/Olafur_Ragnar_Grimsson_-_World_Economic_Forum_Annual_Meeting_2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8oNDlW1lL2cyYjK0Q1j9UNAnNkP-1-7HhsWh5uuHYMiiAVaGTxFcqLY27b1aXfH3eFdN9ajIJo8HtgYGKOkhV7Hl6oX1GGljGIZbVk1tEhPDpAeLLuzlZvkq2brTIL-WeHfVHYg/s1600/Olafur_Ragnar_Grimsson_-_World_Economic_Forum_Annual_Meeting_2011.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson was re-elected as president of Iceland on Saturday for the fifth term but he has been in office since 1996. He got more than half the votes or almost 53 percent. Grímsson was one of six candidates running for the presidency. His main opponent, Þóra Arnórsdóttir, got 33 percent.<br />
<br />
One of the biggest issues debated in the election campaign was whether Iceland should join the European Union or not. Grímsson confirmed early in the campaign his previously known stance that he was absolutely opposed to EU membership while Arnórsdóttir refused to make her opinion on the matter public. She nevertheless said that joining the EU under the current circumstances was like renting a room in a burning building.<br />
<br />
Political analysts in Iceland have generally agreed that Grímsson's opposition to EU membership did much to secure his victory while at the same time claims that Arnórsdóttir favoured joining the bloc did not help her campaign. It was e.g. pointed out that she had been active in the European Movement Iceland in the 90s.<br />
<br />
Grímsson has said after the elections that he regards the results as a call for him to take a more active and outspoken role in the debate in Iceland about larger issues such as whether Iceland should join the EU or not.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-44383768406945712092012-05-09T23:52:00.004+00:002012-05-09T23:57:30.637+00:00Iceland's business leaders reject EU membershipNew opinion poll among Icelandic business leaders shows that 63.9 percent of them are opposed to the idea that Iceland should become a member of the European Union while 36.1 percent favour membership.<br />
<br />
The poll was produced by the polling company MMR for the Icelandic business newspaper Viðskiptablaðið.<br />
<br />
<b>Sources:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.vb.is/frettir/72074/" target="_blank">Könnun: 64% stjórnenda fyrirtækja á móti aðild að ESB</a> (Vb.is May 9, 2012)<br />
<a href="http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2012/05/09/mikill_meirihluti_stjornenda_a_moti_esb/" target="_blank">Mikill meirihluti stjórnenda á móti ESB</a> (Mbl.is May 9, 2012)<br />
<br />
<b>Related posts:</b><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/04/majority-of-icelanders-remain-opposed.html" target="_blank">Majority of Icelanders remains opposed to EU membership</a><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/03/icelands-industry-turns-against-eu.html" target="_blank">Iceland's industry turns against EU membership</a><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/02/67-percent-would-reject-eu-membership.html" target="_blank">67 percent would reject EU membership</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-24926033211800323462012-04-29T13:43:00.002+00:002012-04-30T07:53:02.422+00:00Majority of Icelanders remains opposed to EU membershipThe results of a new poll in Iceland shows that an overwhelming majority of Icelanders remains opposed to membership of the European Union. According to the poll 53.8 percent opposed to the idea of joining the EU while only 27.5 percent favour it. 19.7 percent have not made up their minds.<br />
<br />
If only those in favour of EU membership of those who oppose it are measured 66 percent are against joining the bloc while a third is in favour. The majority of the voters of all the political parties which got MPs elected to the Icelandic parliament in the last general elections reject membership except for only the social democrats.<br />
<br />
The poll was produced by Professor Rúnar Vilhjálmsson of the University of Iceland. Some 1900 people were polled with a 67 percent participating. Vilhjálmsson said in an interview with Iceland's state broadcaster RÚV that according to his findings those opposed to EU membership are more firm in their opinion and less likely to change their minds than those in favour.<br />
<br />
<b>Sources:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2012/04/27/mikill_meirihluti_vill_ekki_i_esb/" target="_blank">Mikill meirihluti vill ekki í ESB</a> (Mbl.is April 27, 2012)<br />
<a href="http://www.ruv.is/frett/54-prosent-andvig-esb-adild" target="_blank">54 prósent andvíg ESB-aðild</a> (Rúv.is April 27, 2012)<br />
<br />
<b>Related posts:</b><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/02/67-percent-would-reject-eu-membership.html" style="color: #114499;" target="_top">67 percent would reject EU membership</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-24686543395887174262012-03-30T10:22:00.002+00:002012-03-30T10:25:02.141+00:00Iceland's industry turns against EU membershipNew opinion poll was published yesterday produced for The Federation of Icelandic Industries (Samtök iðnaðarins) by Capacent Gallup among the members of the federation. That is among the leaders of the businesses which are members of the federation.<br />
<br />
The Federation of Icelandic Industries has for a long time been a strong supporter of an Icelandic membership of the European Union and it has been the stronghold of those in favour of membership in Iceland's business community.<br />
<br />
However, according to the poll 58.7 percent of the members of the federation are now opposed to EU membership and only 27.4 percent in favour. Last time similar poll was produced in February-March 2007 43.4 percent wanted membership against 39.3 percent which rejected it. The change is therefore enormous.<br />
<br />
Asked how they would vote in a referendum on EU membership 68.8 percent said they would reject membership. Of those 53.1 percent said they would definitely say no. The rest said they would probably do so. 31.2 percent said they would support membership but only 15.1 percent of those said they would definitely say no.<br />
<br />
The poll now also finds that 45 percent oppose the euro while the 36.5 percent favour adopting it in one way or another. In February-March 2006, last time the members of the federation were asked this question, 61.1 percent wanted to adopt the euro while 26.1 percent did not.<br />
<br />
Finally the poll found that 50 percent thought it would be bad for Iceland's economy to join the EU while 33.7 percent thought it would have good influence. In February-March 2007 54.7 percent thought EU membership would be good for the country's economy.<br />
<br />
<b>Sources:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2012/03/29/idnadurinn_a_moti_adild_ad_esb/" target="_blank">Iðnaðurinn á móti aðild að ESB</a> (Mbl.is March 29, 2012)<br />
<a href="http://www.si.is/media/althjodlegt-samstarf/4021656_SI_220212.pdf" target="_blank">The results of the poll</a> (in Icelandic)<br />
<br />
<b>Related posts:</b><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/03/joining-eu-in-total-turmoil.html" style="color: #114499;" target="_top">Joining the EU in "total turmoil"</a><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2012/02/67-percent-would-reject-eu-membership.html" style="color: #114499;" target="_top">67 percent would reject EU membership</a><br />
<a href="http://eunews.blogspot.com/2011/08/64-want-eu-application-withdrawn.html" style="color: #114499;" target="_top">64 percent want the EU application withdrawn</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-7456961643055122662012-03-27T11:25:00.000+00:002012-03-27T11:25:05.202+00:00Joining the EU in "total turmoil""Joining the European Union is in a total turmoil - simply because the support for it keeps decreasing. Europe is in an economic and political crisis and is not getting out of it anytime soon. It is now clear that the negotiations with the EU will not be finished before the next general elections and then we may have a government which is entirely against EU membership. It would be strange to have a membership agreement in the hands but no government to recommend it."<br />
<br />
This was <a href="http://silfuregils.eyjan.is/2012/03/21/ny-stjornarskra-og-afrekalisti-rikisstjornarinnar/" target="_blank">written</a> on March 21 this year by Egill Helgason, a prominent talk show host at the Icelandic state broadcaster which has been known for talking positively about an Icelandic EU membership.<br />
<br />
Yesterday the Icelandic Foreign Minister, Össur Skarphéðinssin, <a href="http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2012/03/26/ekki_lokid_fyrir_kosningar/" target="_blank">said</a> at a meeting with the Icelandic Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs that he thought that the membership negotiations with the EU would not be finished before the next general elections which will be at the latest in the spring of 2013.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-17841503130314847832012-02-29T09:41:00.008+00:002012-03-01T09:47:07.456+00:0067 percent would reject EU membershipOpposition to membership of the European Union is growing in Iceland according to a new poll produced by Capacent Gallup for the Federation of Icelandic Industries (Samtök iðnaðarins) which favours joining the bloc. According to the poll 56.2 percent are against EU membership, 26.3 percent are in favour and 17.5 percent are uncertain.<br />
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Asked how people would vote in a referendum 67.4 percent said they would vote no to EU membership while 32.6 percent said they would vote yes. Of those rejecting joining the bloc 50 percent said they would definitely say no while only 12.4 percent said they would definitely accept membership.<br />
<br />
In a similar poll by Capacent Gallup for the FII published in March 2011 61.1 percent said they would vote against EU membership in a referendum while 38.9 percent said they would support joining the EU.<br />
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Majority is opposed to EU membership in all social groups tested according to the poll now; sex, age, residence, income and education. There has been a large majority against joining the bloc in every poll produced in Iceland ever since the beginning of August 2009 or for more than two and a half year.<br />
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Asked if they wanted the EU application withdrawn 43.6 percent want to withdraw it but 42.6 percent oppose that.<br />
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In a separate poll produced by the polling company MMR and published on January 19 the majority, or 52 percent, also said they did not want to adopt the euro in Iceland while 28 percent said they did. <br />
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The poll was produced January 12-20 and published on February 22. A total of 1350 people were polled with 64.2 percent participating.<br />
<br />
<b>Sources:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2012/02/28/67_prosent_myndu_hafna_esb_adild/">67% myndu hafna ESB-aðild</a> (Mbl.is February 28, 2012)<br />
<a href="http://www.si.is/media/althjodlegt-samstarf/4021659_Samtok_Idnadarins_260112.pdf">The complete results of the poll</a><br />
<a href="http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2012/01/19/vilja_ekki_evru_i_stad_kronu/">The MMR poll on the euro</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-9754803794838310042011-09-10T13:00:00.002+00:002011-09-10T13:02:01.673+00:00MEPs surprised by lack of support for EU membershipA 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:<br />
<br />
"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."<br />
<br />
<b>Source: </b><br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1622235141">Ásmundur Einar Daðason MP's Facebook page </a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-70206555405161535232011-08-30T15:36:00.003+00:002011-08-30T18:49:57.330+00:0064 percent want the EU application withdrawnNew 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.<br />
<br />
<b>Source:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.bylgjan.is/lisalib/getfile.aspx?proc=54&itemid=63671">Bylgjan online poll</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-36500120989150955302011-08-19T11:42:00.005+00:002011-08-19T12:43:08.206+00:00The conservatives and liberals want to stop Iceland's accession processThe 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'.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
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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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<b>Sources:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2011/08/14/vill_slita_adildarvidraedum/">Vill slíta aðildarviðræðum</a> (Mbl.is August 14, 2011)<br />
<a href="http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2011/08/18/vill_esb_umsoknina_a_is/">Vill leggja ESB-umsóknina til hliðar</a> (Mbl.is August 18, 2011)<br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-30455356450616345472011-08-11T21:34:00.002+00:002011-08-11T22:40:22.031+00:00New poll: Majority as before against EU membershipNew 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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
For more than two years every single opinion poll in Iceland has shown vast majority of Icelanders opposed to EU membership.<br />
<br />
<b>Source:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2011/08/11/vaxandi_andstada_vid_adild_ad_esb/">Vaxandi andstaða við aðild að ESB</a> (Mbl.is August 11, 2011)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-8956989847027685912011-06-30T12:53:00.002+00:002011-08-11T21:34:59.056+00:00Majority of Icelanders wants to withdraw the EU applicationThe 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.<br />
<br />
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<br />
counted about 57 percent want to withdraw it.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<b>Source:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2011/06/30/meirihluti_vill_draga_esb_umsoknina_til_baka/">Meirihluti vill draga ESB-umsóknina til baka</a> (Mbl.is June 30, 2011)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-63847434133649371962011-03-17T12:36:00.003+00:002011-03-17T12:51:43.674+00:00Continued majority against EU membership in IcelandThe 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. <br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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. <br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<b>Source:</b><br />
Viðskiptablaðið March 17, 2011Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-69116590840332751192010-11-14T00:53:00.001+00:002010-11-14T00:54:38.724+00:00Less than 18 percent want the current governmentAccording 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.<br />
<br />
<b>Source:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.mmr.is/images/stories/PDF/1011_tilkynning_stjornarmynstur.pdf">The MMR poll</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017929.post-48222543235057563752010-11-13T13:05:00.005+00:002010-11-13T18:45:56.064+00:00Growing EU division in the Icelandic governmentThere 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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<b>Source:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.visir.is/vill-ljuka-adildavidraedum-a-tveimur-manudum/article/2010930706690">Vill ljúka aðildaviðræðum á tveimur mánuðum</a> (Vísir.is November 13, 2010)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com