In Reykjavík, Inga Sæland, Iceland’s Minister of Education and Children and leader of the People’s Party, said it would be most natural for Iceland to formally withdraw its European Union (EU) membership application. However, she will not support a parliamentary resolution from opposition parties to that effect. The comments were first reported today by RÚV.
Sæland said that, while withdrawing the application would be “the most natural thing in the world,” she would not back the current resolution because it has not been agreed upon by her government. She said she is in a coalition with two other parties and that withdrawing the EU application is not part of the government’s programme.
Her comments came in response to a question from Jens Garðar Helgason, deputy chairman of the Independence Party, during a session of Alþingi, Iceland’s parliament. The session saw outspoken words exchanged between the two. Sæland emphasised her commitment to the coalition, saying, “I really respect the cooperation I’m in and follow it completely with a smile.”
Background on Alþingi and the Independence Party
Alþingi, Iceland’s parliament, was founded in 930 and is widely known as one of the oldest national legislatures in the world. The Independence Party is a conservative party in Iceland and is currently the second largest party in the parliament. Jens Garðar Helgason serves as its vice chairman.
Sources
- RÚV (first reported) in Icelandic
- mbl.is in Icelandic
- Miðjan in Icelandic
Image: Ray Swi-hymn from Sijhih-Taipei, Taiwan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · licence, original (resized) Illustrative image.
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