Iceland lawmakers split over withdrawing EU membership application

Two Icelandic MPs disagree on whether the country should formally withdraw its application to join the European Union, mbl.is reports.

Progressive Party MP Þórarinn Ingi Pétursson said Iceland should withdraw the application following the referendum result against opening membership negotiations with the EU.

“We still have to formally withdraw the application. I believe that should be done, and that is also the position of the Progressive Party,” Þórarinn said on the Dagmál programme.

He said the public had spoken and that it was appropriate to formally close the issue. In his view, EU membership was off the table for the next 10 to 15 years.

Þórarinn said future generations could apply again if circumstances changed, but saw no reason to keep the current application open.

Jón Gnarr, an MP for the Reform Party, disagreed. He said he preferred to keep the application in place because of major changes in international affairs and the difficulty of predicting how Iceland’s position and that of neighbouring countries might develop in the coming years.