Iceland Drops Bid to Join EU

Iceland formally announced yesterday that it will no longer pursue membership in the European Union (EU).  Iceland applied for EU membership in 2009 when it was in an economic crisis. However, the government of Iceland suspended talks in May 2013 after a center-right coalition took power.  At that time, 27 of the 35 legislative chapters in the accession talks had been opened and 11 had been concluded.  The biggest remaining disputes related to agriculture and fisheries.  Now that Iceland's economy is doing much better, Iceland's government has announced that it believes "Iceland's interests are best served outside the European Union."

(cgb)