Do not compete to make the biggest declarations

Iceland’s Justice Minister Þorbjörg Sigríður Gunnlaugsdóttir says the country should not rush to formally withdraw its application to join the European Union, even though voters clearly rejected restarting accession talks.

She said the government should consider its next steps carefully rather than compete to issue the strongest declaration after the referendum. The cabinet has made clear that it will take no further action on renewing the negotiations, she said, but withdrawing the application would add another question that requires calm consideration.

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I think we at least need to consider what declarations we make regarding European cooperation.

Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir convened the Foreign Affairs Committee to review the referendum result. After the meeting, she said any future attempt to negotiate with the EU would become longer and more difficult if Iceland withdrew its application now.

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Do not compete to make the biggest declarations, but examine what best serves Iceland’s interests.

Gunnlaugsdóttir said the government and parliament must decide what best serves Iceland’s interests in a changed landscape. The application has remained inactive for more than a decade, and she said she was not firmly convinced that withdrawing it immediately would benefit the country.

At the same time, the minister acknowledged that Icelanders had clearly rejected reopening EU membership negotiations. The issue will therefore not return to the agenda or discussions of the current government.

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I am not firmly convinced that it is necessarily in Iceland’s best interests to come running now and withdraw an application that is not really going anywhere.