Iceland’s migration debate overlooks the role of EEA free movement

Most foreign nationals who have moved to Iceland in recent years came under the European Economic Area’s free-movement rules, an issue often overlooked in public debate, argues Hjörtur J. Guðmundsson in an opinion article published by mbl.is.

Guðmundsson writes that migration has placed pressure on public services, including health care and education, as well as on the housing market. He says the resulting strain can also make it harder for newcomers to integrate into society.

But the debate has focused more on people arriving from outside the EEA and on asylum seekers, he argues, even though those groups make up only part of the total. Citizens of EEA countries do not need residence or work permits in Iceland, the article says.

The author draws a comparison with what is known as “gold-plating” EU rules incorporated through the EEA Agreement. He argues that discussion has concentrated on gold-plating rather than on the underlying rules, which he says are the main problem.

A 2016 report by an advisory committee on public regulatory oversight found that 35 bills passed over three parliamentary sessions from 2013 to 2016 affected the regulatory burden on businesses. Of those, 29 added burdens, either alone or alongside simplification measures. Twenty of the 29 concerned the implementation of EU rules through the EEA Agreement. The report found that rules had been made more burdensome during implementation in seven cases.

Guðmundsson argues that stopping migration from outside the EEA and granting no asylum would make little difference overall, because most people coming to Iceland would continue to do so.