Iceland, in or out, please decide

FROM Sema Erla Serdaroglu Project Manager of the European Movement in Iceland and a member of the Social Democratic Alliance in Iceland

The New Federalist published an article by JEF member Alessio Pisanò on 20 January, Iceland, in or out, which, as the name refers to, was about Iceland and the ongoing membership negotiations between Iceland and the European Union. Although I am still not exactly sure what Alessio was trying to gain with the article, I feel I need to respond to his remarks and clear up some misunderstandings the author has about Iceland and its relationship with the European Union. Firstly, it saddens me that Alessio regards all candidate countries as “self-interested” but not as partners in Europe where we are “united in diversity” and all equal. Is that really how to talk about partners and friends in Europe ? And to say that these “countries look for a first contact with Brussels for nothing else but self interest” like they are doing something wrong by applying for an EU membership, and suggesting it is only when needed, is just offensive. Why should these countries have a different agenda from the founding countries and the 21 countries that have already joined the EU ? And the one that is about to ? For example, Turkey was the second country to seek partnership with the then European Economic Community in 1959, and has done so ever since. With regards to Iceland, Alessio says that “the tiny island first got close to the EU after its national bank system collapsed in 2008,” which is just entirely wrong. Iceland joined EFTA in 1970. Iceland has been a member of the European Economic Area since 1994 and is also a Schengen member. Through all of this co-operation with Europe, we sure know what it is to “follow common rules” although something else has been suggested in Alessio´s article. Out of the 35 chapters of the EU Acquis (or the 33 that need to be negotiated), Iceland has adopted 21 chapters through its agreements (10 entirely and 11 mostly) with Europe. So believe me, we know what it means to follow common rules. The only problem is, we do not take any part in the legislation process, we just receive these rules and regulations with a fax – a reason enough for many to actually join the EU ! Secondly, Alessio mentions the Icesave dispute, a dispute between Iceland , the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. I must say I find it very inappropriate to speak about Iceland´s possible EU membership and the Icesave dispute in the same article. But since it has been done, I would like to point out that it has not in any way put Iceland “aside in Europe” as Alessio claims. The Icesave dispute is uncomfortable for everyone involved, and we are glad that a judgement is expected on 28 January from the EFTA Court, not the “European Court of Justice” like Alessio says in his article, because this dispute is not an EU dispute. Thirdly, I find myself in need to explain to Alessio how and why Iceland came to apply for an EU membership, and a bit about how it works. Alessio says that after the banks collapsed “the new Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir immediately found herself in the 'heart of Europe' as, undoubtedly, the European Union and the adoption of the euro would have been a perfect deal to solve the country´s debt. Here again we come to bare interests.” Firstly, our Prime Minister, Jóhanna, is the leader of the Social Democratic Alliance, a political party that has, since its foundation, had an EU membership on its agenda. So when the Social Democrats won the parliamentary elections in 2009, after having an EU membership its main priority, they of course applied for a membership, finally being able to do so. I mean, what would you have done ? Secondly, I will not deny that the crisis was a factor in all of this, but perhaps it was more of a factor of the election results, not the EU application itself, as is suggested in the article. An EU membership and the adoption of the euro takes years. We have EU Member States that have not yet adopted the euro, even though they should have. Why ? Because they have not fulfilled the criteria to do so, like Member States need to do. So do you honestly believe that after having our economy collapse, Iceland could just join the EU and adopt the euro overnight ? Even we know that is not possible. Joining the EU is a long-term investment in the future. The reasons for joining are numerous and you would even hear different reasons for joining, depending on who you speak to. Thirdly, Alessio mentions the fact the Icelandic Government has decided to slow down the negotiations in the next few months, as we are getting ready for national elections in April, and he makes it sound like it is the end of all. Alessio quotes both the Icelandic ambassador in Brussels who says “that we are slowing down the negotiations, and we are not disbanding them,” and Štefan Füle, the Enlargement Commissioner, that does not mention anything about Iceland stopping the negotiations, yet, he says they have been “stopped.” The fact of the matter is that it is clear now that the negotiations will not be finalised before the Icelandic parliamentary elections in April. Out of the 33 chapters that need to be negotiated, 27 have been opened and 11 of them closed. Six chapters remain unopened and will not be opened before the elections. However, work on the others will continue despite the elections. Truth be told, when negotiating countries have gone through national elections during negotiations with the EU, they have slowed the negotiation process down, perhaps not as formally as Iceland has done, but that's usually how it works. Whilst the political parties put all their efforts on getting elected, some things must be set aside for a short period of time. And a matter as big as an EU membership should not be rushed, mishandled or destroyed, it should be slowed down, in order to avoid mistakes and to make sure that the result of the negotiations are good for the Icelandic people. That way is obviously a better choice than rushing it and taking a chance on getting bad results. The negotiations need to be handled with care. And just so it is clear, the Social Democratic Alliance remains a great supporter of Icelandic EU membership. So my last words to you Alessio are : let us worry about our national elections, let us worry about our negotiations with the EU, let us finish our negotiations, let us, the people of Iceland, decide whether or not to join the EU, and in the meanwhile, do not jump to conclusions.

Sema Erla Serdaroglu Project Manager of the European Movement in Iceland and a member of the Social Democratic Alliance in Iceland

Iceland, in or out, please decide - commentaires

Iceland, in or out, please decide