Opinion article urges Icelanders to reject renewed EU talks

An opinion article published by mbl.is asks Icelanders to consider three fundamental questions before voting on whether to restart the country’s European Union accession process.

The article says the decision is not complicated. A yes vote would mean that Icelandic authorities begin adapting to the EU, appointing a negotiating committee to discuss temporary exemptions, transition arrangements and other issues with the bloc’s negotiating committee.

Should the accession process restart?

The article rejects descriptions of the vote as simply “looking inside the package” or finding out what is available. Countries do not apply for EU membership merely out of curiosity, it says.

Although negotiations could address temporary exemptions and room for adaptation, the article argues that no exemption from treaties accepted by all other EU member states is permanent. It says the EU itself has made this clear, regardless of how firmly Iceland’s current foreign minister approaches the negotiations.

A yes vote would also shift the government’s political energy, time and attention towards the accession process, according to the article. It says this would come at the expense of efforts to improve people’s circumstances, lower interest rates, tackle the roots of inflation and reduce government spending.

The article points to the past two years, during which it says the government’s attention has focused on the referendum and preparations for a possible accession process while conditions at home have worsened. A no vote, it argues, would demand that the government take responsibility and focus on Iceland.

What would Iceland gain and sacrifice?

The article says Iceland is not searching for an economic or political future in the way some countries now seeking EU membership are. Icelanders, it argues, have built one of the world’s most successful societies on their own terms.

It says Iceland controls its fishing grounds, energy resources and nature, and has found effective ways to use those resources to create substantial value supporting a strong society across the country. Iceland also has its own currency, economic policy and democratic freedom based on its sovereignty, the article says.

Iceland already has a strong relationship with Europe through the European Economic Area Agreement, it adds. The arrangement provides access to Europe’s internal market without requiring Iceland to adopt what the article describes as the EU’s worst flaws.

The article says Iceland currently has a seat at all the tables and always has the final say. It argues that giving up this position for a small seat among unelected officials, where Iceland would not have the final say on its own affairs, would be unreasonable.

Why now?

The article says it is not enough to argue that the world has changed. The global outlook is always changing, it says, and the task of an independent nation is not to run for new shelter whenever international winds grow stronger.

Instead, it argues, Iceland should defend its interests, cooperate closely with strong allies and make a sober assessment of what serves the country’s long-term interests.