The head of Iceland’s diplomacy considered this Monday, March 23, “in the interest of Icelanders” the victory of “Yes” in the referendum on the reopening of negotiations for possible accession to the European Union, pointing out fishing and agriculture as the most complex dossiers.
“It is in the interest of the people of Iceland to say yes at the beginning and see what kind of agreement we can reach with the European Union (EU)”, said the Icelandic Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense, Porgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, at a press conference at Palácio das Necessidades, in Lisbon, after a meeting with the Portuguese Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel.
Iceland, the founding country of NATO and a member of the European Economic Area, will hold a referendum on August 29 to decide on the reopening of negotiations with the EU, after having suspended the process in 2013, withdrawing its candidacy two years later.
Iceland’s eventual accession to the EU “is really important for ordinary families and small and medium-sized businesses in Iceland, but also, in the current geopolitical context, it is very important to see the strength of Europe”, defended the Icelandic ministerafter pointing out the United States’ “peculiar statements” about Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.
“It was very important to see how Europe can come together and be a backbone for, for example, the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenland when it comes to territorial integrity and the nation’s right to self-determination,” he maintained.
The official also defended the importance of “being among like-minded countries that share the same values when it comes to democracy, freedom, human rights, like-minded nations that still have the courage to raise their voices in the face of threats and human rights violations around the world”.
Asked by Lusa about what the main difficulties could be in eventual accession negotiations, Porgerdur Katrín identified fishing and agriculture.
“We must start with the biggest obstacles, and these are obviously our fisheries, how we are going to maintain our magnificent and sustainable fishing system in Iceland (…). It is very vital for us that the European Union understands that we are not like any other nation, we are an island in the middle of the Atlantic that has lived off sustainable fishing for centuries. Another obstacle that I would say could be difficult is agriculture”he commented.
The minister stressed that the August referendum will only be the first moment for Icelanders to speak out.
“If and when there is an agreement, we will hold another referendum” on membership, he said, stressing that “nothing has been decided”.
The Portuguese Government “sees with great enthusiasm that negotiations can be reopened, that there is a second opportunity to reach an agreement with Iceland”, said Minister Paulo Rangel.
“Iceland, like Portugal, is an Atlantic country and we need to reinforce the Atlantic dimension of the European Union”, he explained.
The official anticipated that the eventual negotiations will be complex, but the speed depends on Reykjavik and Brussels: “There are many sectors, there are many exceptions that need to be made to protect this and that point and, therefore, this normally takes some time”.
Rangel, who was an MEP for 15 years, urged the Icelandic Government to “be strong” and “defend its interests” in the negotiations.
“The European Union is familiar with this”, he said.
The Portuguese minister also highlighted that belonging to the European bloc does not in any way threaten national sovereignty, an issue that divides Icelandic public opinion.
“No membership in any international organization will harm our independence, which we would never accept”, he stressed.
“Sometimes people think that joining the European Union means losing our identity, our sovereignty, our independence. That is not the case at all, quite the opposite”, he insisted.
The Icelandic minister continues her visit to Lisbon today with a lunch with Paulo Rangel, followed later by a meeting with the Minister of National Defense, Nuno Melo.
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