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🇮🇸 Iceland /Elections & Politics

Prime minister wants to take “a little time”

From Morgunblaðið · () Icelandic

Translated from Icelandic and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

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  • Iceland has not decided whether to withdraw its European Union membership application.
  • Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir said the government could take several days to consider whether to withdraw the application or close the matter in another way.
  • She said EU accession talks will not continue, while Iceland wants to maintain good relations with the bloc and remain in the European Economic Area.

Iceland has not decided whether to withdraw its application for European Union membership, Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir told Morgunblaðið.

“We have made no decision. The question is rather when it would be appropriate to withdraw the application or whether it might be possible to close this chapter in another way. I think it is reasonable for us to take a little time to consider the next steps,” Frostadóttir said after a cabinet meeting.

She said the government could take several days to assess whether to formally withdraw the application or end the matter by another route. Icelanders still want good relations with the EU, she said, and most want the country to remain part of the European Economic Area.

We have made no decision. The question is rather when it would be appropriate to withdraw the application or whether it might be possible to close this chapter in another way. I think it is reasonable for us to take a little time to consider the next steps.

— Kristrún FrostadóttirThe prime minister said Iceland needed time to decide how to handle its EU membership application.

The vote concerned whether Iceland should continue accession negotiations, Frostadóttir said. “We voted on whether we should continue accession negotiations. Accession negotiations will not continue. That is the main issue.”

The prime minister also said she took public concerns about the government’s economic management seriously. Those concerns, reflected in a recent opinion poll, put greater pressure on the government to deliver on its promises.

We voted on whether we should continue accession negotiations. Accession negotiations will not continue. That is the main issue.

— Kristrún FrostadóttirShe described the outcome of the vote and said negotiations would not resume.
About this summary

Originally published by Morgunblaðið in Icelandic. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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