Steingrímur urges voters to reject renewed EU talks

Former finance minister Steingrímur J. Sigfússon says he will vote against reopening Iceland’s negotiations on European Union membership in a referendum at the end of August, mbl.is reports.

Steingrímur, who served in the government of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir when Iceland applied for membership in 2009, said Iceland’s interests were better served outside the EU. He also expressed little confidence that new negotiations would produce an outcome Icelanders could accept.

“I will say no,” Steingrímur wrote in an opinion piece published by Vísir.

He said his position was based mainly on two considerations. First, he believes Iceland’s interests are better protected outside the EU and that this arrangement better reflects the country’s distinct characteristics, history and geographical position.

Second, he has limited faith that a new membership process would achieve significant results. He referred in particular to the membership negotiations that began in 2009 and continued until 2012.

Key issues remain unresolved

Steingrímur said progress had been made in areas covered by the European Economic Area agreement during the earlier negotiations, since these largely involved implementing laws and regulations.

The situation was different in areas involving Iceland’s most important specific interests, he said. These included fisheries, agriculture, regional affairs, animal and plant health, and other policy areas.

By the end of 2012, little indicated that Iceland was achieving its main negotiating objectives in those areas, according to Steingrímur. The most important chapters had not yet been opened, and the gap between Iceland and the EU was greatest there.

He said he had seen nothing to suggest that this situation had changed substantially.

Limited room for concessions

Steingrímur also believes the EU’s room for negotiation is limited. He said this was not necessarily due to a lack of willingness within the union, but because its existing member states would have to approve any changes made for a new member.

He considers permanent exemptions for Iceland an unlikely outcome of negotiations, while also saying such exemptions would be necessary for Icelanders to accept membership.

Independence has served Iceland well

Steingrímur pointed to Iceland’s strong position on various measures of living standards and quality of life, including purchasing power, equality, gender equality, labour-force participation and low unemployment.

He also highlighted Iceland’s wealth of natural resources, which he said the nation itself controls.

“I cannot see it any other way than that independence has served us well, is in fact one of our resources, and that we should proceed extremely carefully before giving up parts of it,” he wrote.

Steingrímur said it was also important that Iceland’s mistakes had been its own, and that independence brought responsibility for facing their consequences and learning from them.

Fears new talks could reach a deadlock

Steingrímur said he was concerned that a new membership process could either fizzle out or end with an agreement rejected by the Icelandic public. In his view, such an outcome could be worse than never starting the process.