The European Parliament issued a resolution yesterday recommending that membership talks with Iceland begin as soon as possible. The parliament also welcomed the decisions of European Union leaders on June 17th to greenlight talks with Iceland.
However, the European Parliament emphasizes that Iceland has to make “further efforts” to fulfill the EU’s regulations, including those that have to do with deposit insurances, Bloomberg reports.
The Icelandic government is encouraged to reach an agreement with the British and Dutch governments on the Icesave repayment scheme, which would “restore confidence in Iceland’s ability to honor its commitments” as well as increase public support in Iceland and in the EU for membership, the parliament argued.
Furthermore, the European Parliament called for a stop to whaling.
Bloomberg mentioned in its news story that public interest in Iceland for EU membership has decreased since its application last year and that the majority of Icelanders now opposes membership. It also states that a number of MPs have requested that the application be withdrawn.
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