Iceland: Will not Support a EU referendum

Bjarni Benediktsson, leader of the conservative Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn), says a referendum on whether Iceland should re-apply for membership of the European Union will not be in line with the policy of the party.

The Icelandic newspaper Morgunblaðið reports that the party has been in formal coalition talks with the center-right Regeneration (Viðreisn) and the centrist Bright Future (Björt framtíð) since Monday. The parties have so far met four times, and the latest meeting was held yesterday.

One of the questions that need to be settled to make it possible for the three parties to form a new government is the EU. While Bright Future and Regeneration favour an EU referendum Benediktsson's party is firmly opposes joining the bloc.Responding to news reports that the coalition pact would include a paragraph calling for a referendum on EU membership Benediktsson said the party would not move an inch from its clear policy.

Every opinion poll published in Iceland since 2009 has had a majority against joining the EU. The most recent one in December, 2016, had 52.7 percent against EU membership and 25.9 percent in favour of joining the bloc.