Iceland gains nothing from EU membership, says hospital CEO

Björn Zoëga, CEO of King Faisal Hospital in Saudi Arabia, has voiced strong opposition to Iceland's potential membership in the European Union. In an interview with Spursmál, Zoëga stated that he sees no compelling arguments for Iceland to join the bloc. He was a keynote speaker at the "Áfram Ísland" (Forward Iceland) event on July 6, which drew a large crowd.

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I see no solid arguments for Iceland to become a member of the European Union.

When asked about the upcoming referendum on August 29, Zoëga expressed his reservations. He recalled his time working within the EU and living in Sweden during its accession. He also managed Iceland's largest state institution during previous EU membership talks, observing how the process diverted political attention from essential services like healthcare. "I saw how much more focus one minister, who was the health minister at the time, had on this rather than running the healthcare system," he said.

Zoëga acknowledged that Iceland has domestic issues to address but believes these are tasks for Icelanders themselves. He argued that losing focus on these national challenges to engage in accession negotiations would not be the best path forward for the country. "I haven't seen anything in the discussion that explains why we are going through all this trouble," he stated, questioning the rationale behind pursuing EU membership.

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I saw how much more focus one minister, who was the health minister at the time, had on this rather than running the healthcare system.

He emphasized Iceland's current strong economic and social standing, posing the central question: "What do we gain from it?" Zoëga asserted that he has yet to see a convincing public explanation of the benefits of joining the EU. "We are doing so incredibly well, although of course there are plenty of things that always need fixing," he said. "I just don't see, I haven't seen anyone who wants to join the European Union who can explain it, not to me, but just publicly, what we gain from it."

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I haven't seen anything in the discussion that explains why we are going through all this trouble.

Zoëga aims to approach the decision logically, having researched the potential gains. The full interview is available below.

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What do we gain from it? We are doing so incredibly well, although of course there are plenty of things that always need fixing.