BREAKING NEWS: Iceland to Become EU Member by 2011?

[Elwood P Dowd]

Source: Iceland Review

30/01/2009 | 15:24

BREAKING NEWS: Iceland to Become EU Member by 2011?

EU officials have announced that Iceland’s application for EU membership could be expedited in an effort to save the nation from financial ruin. In a process that normally takes years or even decades, Iceland could become the 29th member of the EU as early as 2011.

"The EU prefers two countries joining at the same time rather than individually,” Olli Rehn, EU commissioner in charge of enlargement, told the Guardian. “If Iceland applies shortly and the negotiations are rapid, Croatia and Iceland could join the EU in parallel. On Iceland, I hope I will be busier. It is one of the oldest democracies in the world and its strategic and economic positions would be an asset to the EU."

After Iceland’s conservative-led government collapsed on Monday, the president charged the Social Democrats and Left-Greens with the task of creating a new minority administration until elections are held in the spring.



Read more: http://icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=319222

[sutz12]

1. "conservative-led government collapsed "

Sounds eerily familiar.

It seems conservatism around the world is not immune from meltdown.

[FiveGoodMen]

2. If it's followed by a question mark, isn't it a breaking rumor?

[harmonicon]

3. a possibility

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. It'll depend on how their election goes (in May, I think)

The EU is saying they could join, and get through the joining process quickly. As the article says, the Social Democrats are generally in favour of joining, while the Left-Greens are against. The big worry is fishing policy - joining the EU normally means a pooling of fisheries, and the Icelanders don't want to see an invasion of trawlers from the rest of the EU into their waters that they have, on the whole, kept more sustainable than the EU has with its waters.

[provis99]

4. this should sure piss the Turks off

They've been trying for decades to join the EU, while more and more economically unstable and dubiously democratic European countries have gained admittance. What's the reason: racism/religious bigotry?

[acsmith]

8. do you know anything about european politics...

...or are you just hot-airing?

[Tab]

5. I'm not really sure

Does Iceland exist anymore?

Disclaimer: Of course I know it exists still. You'd be surprised by how many people don't get a joke.

Seriously, Iceland has been in nasty straits (no pun intended). I don't know enough specifics about their economy, but they've got some work to do.

[Doctor_J]

7. How will they pay their dues?

:shrug: