The BBC reports the government of Iceland has announced it is no longer seeking EU membership for the North Atlantic state:
Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson said he had already informed current EU president Latvia and the European Commission about the cabinet’s move...
In a statement, Mr Sveinsson said he had “delivered a letter to the Presidency of the Union and the Commission announcing that the government of Iceland had decided at its cabinet meeting last Tuesday that it did not intend to restart accession negotiations with the EU”.
“Hence, the government considers that Iceland is no longer a candidate country and requests the EU to act in accordance with this from now on,” he added.
However, Mr Sveinsson stressed the importance of continued strong relations and co-operation between Iceland and the EU, saying Reykjavik wanted to strengthen the ties “even further”.
Some in Iceland contend that the decision to withdraw is not valid unless approved by Parliament.
Whether finalized or not, this move by the Icelandic state is just the latest vote of no confidence for the EU, the ECB, and the eurozone. The ECB’s race to the bottom for the euro vs. other currencies is not inspiring confidence across Europe, and as talk of the necessity of full political union grows, many populations in member states and potential member states are beginning to have second thoughts.
Late last year in Poland, for example, 76 percent of Poles surveyed said they were opposed to Poland joining the eurozone, although Poland is an EU member.
