Prime minister says 50.1% vote enough for EU talks

Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir has said a 50.1% majority would be sufficient to begin membership negotiations with the European Union, mbl.is reported. She made the comments at a public listening meeting in Reykjanesbær on Tuesday evening.

The meeting, held at Fjölbrautaskóli Suðurnesja school, was the first of several Kristrún plans to hold around Iceland in the weeks leading up to the August 29 referendum on whether to continue Iceland’s EU membership negotiations.

Kristrún said the meetings were intended to provide an opportunity for people to discuss the issue and listen to one another. “This has been hanging over us for 15 years, and I know many people simply want to finish the matter and get to the bottom of it,” she said at the start of the meeting.

She stressed that several conditions would have to be met before Iceland could join the EU. A yes vote would be needed in both referendums, parliament would then have to be dissolved and constitutional provisions amended. The August 29 vote would only be the first step, determining whether negotiations should begin.

Kristrún said a negotiating team would be formed and the EU notified of Iceland’s decision if voters supported continuing the talks. The negotiations would then have to be completed before a second referendum was held.

Asked whether a 50.1% majority against 49.9% would provide a sufficiently strong democratic mandate to begin negotiations, Kristrún said a threshold had to be set somewhere. She described the result as advisory but said political promises had been made to respect it. She added that such a narrow result would be difficult for her personally and politically.

Kristrún also said she supported adopting the euro, arguing that it would simplify business transactions in Iceland. She said it was not feasible to operate a monetary policy that differed substantially from the EU’s and that abandoning the foreign-exchange premium would bring benefits.

She said the cost of applying for EU membership should be considered alongside other public spending. As an example, she cited the 2023 leaders’ summit at Harpa, which she said cost the state about two billion Icelandic krónur. She added that the value of Western cooperation could not be measured solely in financial gains and losses.

The next listening meeting is scheduled to take place in Eskifjörður on August 12.