Iceland tells EU its membership bid is over

BRUSSELS Iceland, a candidate country for EU membership, has decided to abandon its bid to join the organization, it was announced on Friday. The European Commission heard the news from Iceland's Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson during his visit to Brussels. Iceland tells EU its membership bid is over "This is how democracy works," he said, and pointed out that both parties in the new government had campaigned against EU accession, and that the citizens supported them. "The main purpose of this trip was to tell the commission that the new government has made decision to put negotiations on hold. We are part of Europe and want to strengthen our relationship in other ways," Sveinsson said during what the media described as a "frosty press conference", held with EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule. Fule told journalists that Iceland's decision was "a personal blow." "I am also a professional and I respect without any questions and any doubt, the will of elected representative and citizens," he said, and added that he "still maintained" that that talks on Iceland's accession to the EU should still be completed. The country's former government began EU accession talks in 2010, arguing that joining the bloc would offer economic security to the country devastated by an economic crisis in 2008, euobserver.com reported. However, opinion polls now show that only 25 percent of Icelanders support EU membership. Iceland is abandoning its membership bid after having closed about a third of the 33 negotiation chapters in the EU's body of legislation, known as the acquis communautaire. (Beta/AP, file) FoNet, euobserver.com

Iceland tells EU its membership bid is over

"This is how democracy works," he said, and pointed out that both parties in the new government had campaigned against EU accession, and that the citizens supported them.

"The main purpose of this trip was to tell the commission that the new government has made decision to put negotiations on hold. We are part of Europe and want to strengthen our relationship in other ways," Sveinsson said during what the media described as a "frosty press conference", held with EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule.

Fule told journalists that Iceland's decision was "a personal blow."

"I am also a professional and I respect without any questions and any doubt, the will of elected representative and citizens," he said, and added that he "still maintained" that that talks on Iceland's accession to the EU should still be completed.

The country's former government began EU accession talks in 2010, arguing that joining the bloc would offer economic security to the country devastated by an economic crisis in 2008, euobserver.com reported.

However, opinion polls now show that only 25 percent of Icelanders support EU membership.

Iceland is abandoning its membership bid after having closed about a third of the 33 negotiation chapters in the EU's body of legislation, known as the acquis communautaire.