EU declines to clarify Iceland’s membership status

The European Commission has declined to say whether Iceland has any status in the European Union’s membership process, or what that status might be, Morgunbladid reported. In a written response, the Commission said only that Iceland remains a close partner of the EU.

Iceland’s relationship with the EU has been widely debated since a referendum last month. In a letter to the EU last week, Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir said the government would not seek to restart membership negotiations, but that Iceland’s status in the membership process remained unchanged.

Gunnarsdóttir was repeatedly asked about Iceland’s status during parliamentary discussions on September 10 but did not answer directly.

Government ministers were unavailable for interviews after a cabinet meeting on Friday. Morgunbladid then asked Marta Kos, the EU’s enlargement commissioner, to clarify Iceland’s exact status.

The Commission’s spokesperson replied: “The Commission takes note of the outcome of the referendum in Iceland. The Commission respects the choice of the Icelandic people. Iceland remains a close partner of the EU.”

The response did not mention any connection between Iceland and the membership process. This is consistent with the Commission’s public information page listing candidate and potential candidate countries, where Iceland does not appear.

However, the response appears inconsistent with claims by Iceland’s government that the country’s EU membership application remains fully valid.

The Icelandic Parliament’s research and information service has also concluded that Iceland does not have candidate-country status. The conclusion was given in response to a question from Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, an Independence Party MP, who presented it at a meeting of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on Friday.