After Iceland’s No, EU must consider how to become more attractive, German foreign minister says

Iceland’s rejection of renewed European Union accession talks has prompted Germany’s foreign minister to question whether the bloc offers enough incentive to prospective members.

Johann Wadephul said the vote represented a missed opportunity for closer cooperation. “That would have been a great opportunity to become stronger together,” he said before departing for Tunisia. He added that the result meant the EU needed to consider how it could become more attractive.

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That would have been a great opportunity to become stronger together.

Icelandic voters had narrowly rejected a proposal to resume negotiations on EU membership. The talks were suspended 13 years ago, largely because of disputes over fisheries, the island’s largest and most identity-defining economic sector.

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For the European Union, this means we have to think about how we can become more attractive.

Wadephul said EU membership could not be taken for granted as an aspiration shared by everyone. He argued that the bloc should examine where it could improve, particularly in the economic prospects it offers. “It is not automatically the case that everyone seeks to join the European Union,” he said.

Despite Iceland’s decision, Wadephul said Germany should not abandon the idea of expanding the EU northward. He said that goal should include Iceland and Norway. His trip to Tunisia and Algeria is intended to strengthen economic and security cooperation during a period of global upheaval and instability.

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It is not automatically the case that everyone seeks to join the European Union.