Icelanders want talks on EU membership: poll

10 March 2009, 00:05 CET

(REYKJAVIK) - A majority of Icelanders want to begin membership negotiations with the European Union but a much smaller number actually want to join the 27-member bloc, a fresh poll showed Monday.

A Capacent Gallup poll commissioned by the pro-EU Federation of Icelandic Industries showed that 64.2 percent of Icelanders wanted to enter into membership negotiations with the EU, while 28.2 percent were opposed.

A total of 7.6 percent of the 1,313 people questioned February 11 to 25 said they were undecided.

However, when asked if they wanted to join the 27-member bloc, opponents were in the majority.

Only 39.7 percent were in favour of joining the EU, whereas 45.5 percent opposed and 14.8 percent were undecided.

Observers say both those for and against joining the EU want to apply for membership in order to bring the drawn-out EU debate in Iceland to a close, with a possible membership deal being put to a national vote.

Iceland's interim left-wing Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir said in February that joining the EU and the eurozone would be the best plan for the crisis-hit country.

"In my opinion, the best option is still to join the EU and adopt the euro," she said.

Support for EU negotiations has soared since Iceland's once-booming financial sector crumbled in October, pushing thousands of the country's 320,000 inhabitants out of their jobs as their savings evaporated.

The former government was forced to resign in late January amid massive public protests over the crisis.

Snap elections are expected to be called for April 25.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in February that Iceland's membership negotiations could go quickly if and when it applied to join the bloc.

"Iceland is a very solid democratic European country, one of the oldest democracies in Europe" and "meets all the democratic criteria" for EU membership, Rehn told AFP.

Reykjavik already applies "at least two-thirds of European legislation" through its participation in the wider European Economic Area, he added.

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Of course they do. Their country is bankrupt. They should have already joined long time ago.

tell them to fuck off , the attitude of the icelanders before their bust was almost racist towards the EU, now they can eat their snow and STFU

If they get in before countries like Turkey I'll go and

Why not?

heck if gypsies of Romania and the peasants of Poland, and Feta heads of Greece can join, why not Iceland? Cod is important source of Vitamin E.

Yes and Turkey can not. We don't have Cod, Feta or Gypsies.

you dont have gypsies because YOU are the gypsies piyade

it just seems awfully strange that a country like turkey can have years of negotiations about joining the Eu and little iceland can come along and say yes "I now want in" after spending many years thumbing their scandanavian noses at the EU

well well, hasnt the worm turned hey ??

If the EU has a shred of dignity it will tell those Now Bankrupt, money grabbing racist isolationists to fuck right off.

still im sure they will get in decades before Turkey !

on second thoughts......LOL

The public opinion could change from time to time which means that it puts pressure on the political parties in Iceland to start the negotiations with the EU - especially if you take that poll into account to which the article was referring to.

As for comparing Iceland with Turkey, when was the last time Iceland had a military coup?Does Iceland have a military who continuously interfers in politics?Does Iceland occupy a part of another country?

Iceland is one of the oldest democracies in the world.It doesn`t have to do when you apply for EU membership it`s rather if you fulfill the EU requirements.Having said that, there are some EU countries from time to time that have said that Turkey shouldn`t have the right to join the EU because they are not a Christian country, not a "European" country and blah blah...very stupid arguments in my honest opinions and which doesn`t send the "right" signals to Turkey and its people.

Of course, some people would argue that Iceland doesn`t have the same problems as Turkey does: PKK-terrorism, the fight between the military and Islamists, military`s influence in politics, kurdish question...etc.But the negotiations between EU and Turkey still continues, Turkey has some homework to do.Yes, there are some issues that needs to be solved before Turkey can join the EU such as the Cyprus issue and the Aegean issue.Not to mention issues that concerns the Greek patriarch in Istanbul, the religious school of Halki and other issues that are being mentioned in the EU-report.If these issues are solved then Turkey will be able to join the EU which I hope it does.I rather see a stable and democratic Turkey which respects human rights, and where the military is being controlled by the government and not the opposite.

evro wasnt greece not ready for Eu memebrship way back when,but was allowed to join

Greece was met with the cold hand mickey.Nobody really wanted a poor Balkan country like Greece that had nothing really to contribute to the European family.But let me remind you that the "EU" back then was quite different than the EU we have today - especially now that the treaty of Lisbon is probably going to be adopted.

Iceland has done more than Turkey could EVER do destabalise the World Economy. Irresponsible, Greedy and totally Unnacceptable behaviour.

On those grounds alone it should be punished not rewarded with EU membership.

Huh?The financial crisis started in USA not in Iceland my friend.

I didnt say it started there, im saying Icelandic banks and Government for years acted irresponsibly and outragously. So much so that the British government had to use antiterror legislation to freeze the banks assets this year !!!!

you are gonna let a country in the EU that Bankrupted itself like that?? Thats responsible.

Actually it would befit the EU.. they did afterall let a country in that was divided, another that is so corrupt it makes Zimbabwe look good, and as Piyade said a bunch of Gypsies that have only just learnt to spell democracy.