Saturday

1st Apr 2023

Iceland cool on EU membership

  • Is Iceland on its way to the EU? (Photo: thesetides.com)

A majority 42.3 percent of Icelanders are opposed to applying for membership of the European Union , according to a fresh poll published by Icelandic newspaper Frettabladid last Friday (18 February).

But 34.3 percent are in favour of sending an application to Brussels, the study shows.

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The poll indicates that there is no broad backing for the Icelandic prime minister, Halldor Asgrimsson, who predicted recently that Iceland would become a member of the EU by 2015.

Icelandic foreign minister Geir Haarde also rejected the idea and said Iceland would not join the union in the foreseeable future, exposing a top-level split in Reykjavik.

Mr Asgrimsson's Progress Party is the country's third-largest party, while Mr Haarde's Independence Party is the biggest.

Last August a poll by Gallup found that 43 percent of Icelanders were in favour of joining the EU, while 37 percent were opposed.

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