Icelanders clash over EU talks ahead of referendum

Supporters and opponents of Icelandic European Union membership clashed during a debate in Harpa, mbl.is reported. Icelanders will vote on August 29 on whether to resume membership negotiations with the EU.

The debate, titled “Yes to see?”, was organised by Paradigm. Two speakers from each side delivered 10-minute presentations, followed by rebuttals and questions from the audience.

Jónas Hagan, an investor and board member of the SJÁ movement, opened the debate. Speaking personally, he referred to his daughter’s wedding on Friday and said discussions about interest rates, inflation, currency and economic stability were ultimately about people’s lives.

Jónas said there was a misunderstanding about the referendum. Icelanders, he argued, were not voting on EU membership itself, but on whether the country should resume negotiations.

“Negotiations are not an agreement, and an agreement is not membership,” Jónas said. “In my world, a declaration of intent is not a final agreement.”

Diljá Mist Einarsdóttir, a member of parliament for the Independence Party, presented seven arguments against membership. She said Icelanders were not voting on whether they could learn about the EU, or whether the government could gather information about the advantages and disadvantages of membership.

“We are voting on whether Iceland should enter negotiations with the European Union about joining it,” Diljá said. She argued that membership would be costly for Iceland.

Diljá said Iceland was a wealthy Arctic country that could pay about 50 billion Icelandic krónur a year into the EU. She also described remaining outside the bloc’s customs union as a question of avoiding isolation.

Hjálmar Örn Vilhjálmsson, executive director of the SJÁ movement, said 17 years of experience running fisheries companies within the European Union had convinced him of the benefits of membership.