An article by Þór Sigfússon was published today on fis.com , a part of the article can be read here below, but the whole article can be read on fis.com or by clicking here.
Negotiations between Iceland and the EU regarding Iceland’s accession into the EU began formally in the summer of 2010. The Iceland’s EU accession process faces contentious issues on fisheries which are likely to become a threshold for an agreement. Concerns over sovereignty losses, especially in the fisheries, are the main reason why Icelanders are not more enthusiastic about joining the Union to say the least. This skepticism is both logical and simple.
In a recent study conducted by the Iceland Ocean Cluster, fisheries and all related industries in Iceland utilising the fishing resources, directly account for over 25% of Iceland’s gross domestic product. This compares with 1-5% in countries such as Canada, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and Scotland. No other European country has faced uncertainty regarding such a crucial and significant natural resource in its accession process as Iceland. This is not always understood or appreciated…
