If Icelanders vote to resume talks with the EU in their August 29 referendum, they could defeat leading candidate Montenegro to join the bloc, Iceland's top diplomat told POLITICO.
Iceland could complete accession talks with the EU within "a year and a half" and become its 28th member state, Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir told POLITICO, Gazeta Express reports.
Iceland will hold a referendum on August 29 to restart its stalled negotiations to join the EU. A recent Gallup poll produced a close result, with 52 percent of people in favor of the move and 48 against.
"Sometimes you shouldn't be led by the polls, but lead yourself," said Þorgerður, who leads the pro-EU Viðreisn party.
Iceland, as a member of the European Economic Area and part of Schengen, already has many European Union laws in place. As a result, “it won’t be that complicated for us” and “it will be a fairly quick process” to conclude negotiations to join the bloc, assuming Icelanders vote to resume talks, Þorgerður said.
Asked if Iceland could beat out candidates who are more advanced in their EU membership negotiations, such as Montenegro, to become the EU's 28th member, Þorgerður said "yes." However, she added, "the biggest issue, of course, will be fishing."
Iceland applied for EU membership in 2009 amid a financial crisis, but froze talks in 2013 after a dispute over fisheries policy and a change in its economic circumstances; it formally withdrew its application in 2015. Before that, Reykjavík had closed 11 of 33 negotiating chapters — a milestone that Montenegro surpassed only in recent months. An EU official, who was granted anonymity to speak freely, told POLITICO last month that it could take as little as a year to complete negotiations with Reykjavík.
Þorgerður warned that even if Icelanders say yes in August, there will have to be another vote after negotiations are completed.
But the benefits of joining the bloc at a time of "geopolitical turbulence" are starting to show, Þorgerður said. "It's also very important for our businesses, for our industries, to give them a haven and protect them within the Union."
Iceland would benefit from joining the EU both economically and in terms of security, Þorgerður said. “We always have higher inflation and interest rates than other European countries. And there are many monopolies in the economy.”
The EU would also benefit from the presence of geostrategic and wealthy Iceland in the bloc, she added.
With the August referendum, “we are giving power to the people,” said Þorgerður.
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