Dutch minister says Iceland could have secured strong EU deal

Tom Berendsen, the Netherlands’ foreign minister, said Iceland could have secured a good agreement with the European Union if voters had backed continuing membership negotiations, mbl.is reports.

“Iceland’s economy is strong. This is a country that would have strengthened the European Union, and if you are a strong country, you are always strong in negotiations. It is as simple as that,” Berendsen said.

He spoke after a meeting between the three Benelux foreign ministers and Icelandic Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir at Iceland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Asked about the referendum result, Berendsen said the Icelandic people had spoken by voting against continuing the talks. However, he said Iceland and European countries faced the same challenges in security, energy and trade.

“I do not think this was a no to the European family. It was a no to EU membership, and we need to look at ways to strengthen cooperation,” he said.

Berendsen said the decision not to seek EU membership was an opportunity at this point, but that there were still many ways to deepen cooperation. He said the meeting had explored possible ways to strengthen ties, which he described as important for the Netherlands, the Benelux countries and Iceland.