Iceland on course for the EU: Accession as a last resort

The course is set for Europe. Iceland is likely to apply for full membership of the European Union following the victory of the Social Democratic Alliance led by prime minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir in the general elections of 25th April. However, it seems unlikely that Iceland will eventually acce...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Schymik, Carsten
Format: Report
Language:English
Published: Berlin: Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10419/256080
Description
Summary:The course is set for Europe. Iceland is likely to apply for full membership of the European Union following the victory of the Social Democratic Alliance led by prime minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir in the general elections of 25th April. However, it seems unlikely that Iceland will eventually accept the terms of membership. Three factors militate against Icelandic EU membership: time, fish and the euroscepticism of the political elite. Germany is nevertheless well advised to welcome Iceland's move towards the EU and to be as accommodating as possible in the course of the accession process