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🇮🇸 Iceland /Economy & Trade

Icelandic Government Criticized for Lack of Cost Estimate on EU Referendum

From Morgunblaðið · (7h ago) Icelandic Critical tone

Translated from Icelandic, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Iceland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not provided a cost estimate for a potential referendum on EU accession talks.
  • Former lawmaker Birgir Ármannsson noted this omission in his feedback to the Foreign Affairs Committee, stating such an estimate is necessary for informed decision-making.
  • Ármannsson estimates a referendum would cost at least 600 million ISK, citing the cost of two elections held in 2024.

The Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs has come under scrutiny for its failure to provide a cost estimate for a potential referendum on continuing EU accession talks. Birgir Ármannsson, a lawyer and former member of the Independence Party in opposition during the original 2009 EU negotiations, has highlighted this significant omission in his submission to the Foreign Affairs Committee regarding the proposed resolution by Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir.

Hvergi er að finna mat á kostnaði vegna þjóðaratkvæðagreiðslu um áframhald aðildarviðrædna við Evrópusambandið í greinargerð með þingsályktunartillögu utanríkisráðherra.

— Birgir ÁrmannssonPointing out the lack of a cost estimate for a referendum on EU accession talks in the Foreign Minister's proposal.

Ármannsson argues that a cost assessment for a referendum, while not complex, is crucial for parliamentary deliberation. He points to the 2024 elections, which cost a total of 1.2 billion ISK, suggesting that a referendum would likely cost no less than 600 million ISK, potentially more due to additional administrative expenses for the National Electoral Commission, including the preparation and distribution of informational materials.

Þjóðaratkvæðagreiðslan muni því aldrei kosta minna en 600 milljónir, kostnaður gæti þó orðið töluvert meiri að mati Birgis vegna viðbótarkostnaðar sem falli á landskjörstjórn vegna undirbúnings og dreifingar kynningarefnis.

— Birgir ÁrmannssonEstimating the minimum cost of a referendum and potential additional expenses.

Furthermore, Ármannsson notes the absence of any cost estimate for the accession negotiations themselves within the Foreign Minister's proposal. While acknowledging the difficulty in projecting the duration and associated costs of potential negotiations, he believes an attempt should have been made. He recalls that in 2009, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did attempt to estimate direct costs related to negotiations, such as increased staffing, committee fees, and translation expenses.

Betur hefði þó farið að mati Birgis ef tilraun hefði verið gerð til kostnaðarmats.

— Birgir ÁrmannssonSuggesting that an attempt should have been made to estimate the cost of accession negotiations.

Ármannsson stresses the importance of the Foreign Affairs Committee receiving a well-reasoned cost estimate and seeking further data to make a reasonably accurate assessment of the total expenditure. This call for transparency and thoroughness reflects a desire within Icelandic political discourse to ensure that significant decisions, particularly those concerning national sovereignty and international relations, are made with a clear understanding of their financial implications.

Þegar utanríkismálanefnd hafði til meðferðar tillögu um aðidarviðræður við ESB 2009 gerði utanríkisráðuneytið tilraun til að áætla beinan kostnað ráðuneytisins við viðræðurnar, svo sem vegna fjölgunar starfsmanna, nefndarlauna, ferðakostnaðar og þýðinga

— Birgir ÁrmannssonRecalling a previous instance where the Foreign Ministry estimated costs related to EU negotiations.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Morgunblaðið in Icelandic. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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