Lawmakers question Iceland’s defence in ESA dispute

Two Icelandic lawmakers say there is no sign the government is preparing a defence against the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) over Protocol 35, according to mbl.is.

Sigríður Á. Andersen, parliamentary group chair for the Centre Party, said she had seen nothing to indicate preparations were under way. Sigurður Örn Hilmarsson, an MP for the Independence Party, agreed and said Iceland must submit its written observations to the EFTA Court by November 30.

They also criticised the lack of clarity over whether ESA would drop the case if Parliament passes the foreign minister’s bill giving priority to EEA rules. They said statements from government ministers and an ESA board member did not align.

Andersen recalled that Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, when foreign minister, mounted a strong defence of Iceland against ESA. She served in the same government. A later government abandoned that defence, she said.

Protocol 35 was a key part of the diplomatic compromise that helped establish the EEA Agreement’s compatibility with Iceland’s constitution and made its approval politically possible in 1993. That compromise is now at risk, mbl.is reported.