26 ms·
Is Iceland getting ready to join the EU?
- oldpersonintx 2y ago[dead]
- philip1209 2y agoI wonder if Iceland's debt issues could interfere with this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008%E2%80%932011_Icelandic_financial_crisis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008%E2%80%932011_Icelandic_fi... (Though, perhaps it helps that the UK is no longer in the EU).
- icepat 2y agoNo, the debt crisis is long over and sorted.
- sakisv 2y agoI wonder how things would have played out back in the crisis of 2008 if Iceland was a member of the Eurozone: What they would have been allowed or forced to do and whether their response could have been the same.
- eastbound 2y agoAllowed is one thing, influenced is another. Remember the Libdem party in UK? Several of its MPs were elected on Boris Johnson’s pro-Brexit program, then turned over and fought against the Brexit. Yes, after the election. Left and joined the opposite party. This is what Europe does to its countries.
- smcl 2y agoPeople defecting to opposition parties isn't a strictly European thing. Hell the next US president and a number of his senior appointments are now Republican but were previously Democrat
- NikkiA 2y agoEven boris changed his mind. https://news.sky.com/story/boris-johnsons-secret-remain-article-revealed-10619546 https://news.sky.com/story/boris-johnsons-secret-remain-arti...
- enteeentee 2y agoBoris never changed his mind, he knew Brexit was bad but used it for political gain.
- chgs 2y agoIt’s an amazing butterfly effect - how something seemingly small - Angus Deyton doing hookers and blow - led to Boris Johnson’s popularity on a panel show which led to his London mayorship and antics which endeared him enough to be able to swing enough votes during Brexit to sway one way or another.
- ben_w 2y agoI'm not sure cause and effect on that: https://benwheatley.github.io/blog/2024/04/07-12.47.14.html https://benwheatley.github.io/blog/2024/04/07-12.47.14.html But I also find it odd that Johnson became a guest host a few episodes after Deyton was kicked off in 2002. Was Johnson's adulterous nature not known at the time? Johnson's cocaine stories were, I think, 2005 (on the show itself), 2007, and 2019, and he hosted again in 2003, 2005, and 2006, at least the last of those should not have happened on the basis of the argument used against Deyton.
- dcrazy 2y agoI am confused whether you’re mistaken or just speaking unclearly. Boris Johnson has always belonged to the Conservative party. The Tories formed a coalition with the LibDems in 2010 because there was no majority winner in the Parliamentary election, but the LibDems were anti-Brexit. Even the Tories weren’t consistently pro-Brexit.
- n4r9 2y agoI'm guessing they're talking about Philip Lee [0] who was elected under Boris' government but defected to the Lib Dems when it became clear just how insane Boris was. [0] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49570682 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49570682
- chgs 2y agoLiz Truss was Lib Dem early in her life but then went Tory later. Most of farage’s party are ex-Tories. Peoples views change, and parties change. The Tory party of today is very different to that of thatcher, just like the republicans today are very different to Reagan’s
- aziaziazi 2y agoAbsolutely Unrelated, what is living-systems.is ? Your name catch my attention then you're company name catch my curiosity. Your site has left me thirsty. If you're doing brand/marketing well done but I hope it's something else!
- JPLeRouzic 2y agoI would compare the performance of small countries in Europe but not in the EU, with EU countries in the last decades. For example, one could look at Germany, in 50 years there was only little growth: https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/profile/DEU https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/profile/DEU
- HPsquared 2y agoGerman economy (manufacturing exports) is pretty much the opposite to the Iceland economy (primary sector). Iceland would be in a similar position to Norway. Basically Europe needs new primary sector partners to replace Russia, so Iceland would be very welcome and it'd seem a good synergy.
- jfengel 2y agoIceland hasn't been a primary sector economy in decades. They are now a service economy, especially software and finance. They are no longer a poor nation of fishermen. They are now among the wealthiest countries (per capita) in the world. They would not be well suited to taking Russia's role in the European economy. About the closest similarity is that Iceland does have a significant energy sector. But it's hydro and geothermal, not well suited to export. They might make an awesome data center hub.
- HPsquared 2y agoIt's a small population with a lot of natural resources. Much potential to expand into other areas where they can leverage their cheap (compared to rest of Europe) energy. For example steelmaking, ammonia/fertilizer, really anything that takes a lot of energy and can be exported as embodied energy. The same model as the aluminium smelting.
- yownie 2y ago>Iceland hasn't been a primary sector economy in decades. They are now a service economy, especially software and finance. Try tourism, outstripped our biggest industry (fishing exports) years ago. > They might make an awesome data center hub. Except for the fact that we're equidistant to any major population center which means high latency to everyone. Might work for AI, crypto mining or the few other non-latency dependent hosting niches however.
- imaginationra 2y agoIn Iceland rn with Icelandic family- polling them and their reasoning for wanting to join the EU has ZERO to do with Putin/Russia/Ukraine etc and everything to do with gaining access to the Euro for economic stability and the fact that they already abide by EU rules/regs but don't have the ability to vote.
- declan_roberts 2y agoDon't they already have a market agreement with the EU? Seems to me like they have a nice side deal.
- ChocolateGod 2y agoIceland is part of the EEA, where you accept most the rules of the single market being sent over by a fax machine from Brussels. But this excludes things such as farming and fishing, the latter of which has been very important for Iceland because the EU has never always got that right in a painful attempt to make all member states equally unhappy, and representation of where those rules are decided (Council, Parliament) or proposed (Commission). Even outside the EEA, the size of the EU on the continent means European countries who want to do large amounts of frictional-less trading end up importing the EUs rules (e.g. Switzerland, post-Brexit UK) with no say on them.
- Ekaros 2y agoBeing inside offers more effective place to lobby and do horse-trading. Iceland is in position with rather specific interest so they could easily give up many things that don't really matter to them greatly for concessions from others.
- GeoAtreides 2y agoIt's more than lobby and horse-trading, being inside gives veto powers...
- 2y ago
- motohagiography 2y ago[flagged]
- StefanBatory 2y agoAs a Pole, all I can say to this " joining the EU has been national suicide for every other country that submitted to it" is lmao.
- semessier 2y agoThe EU has actually been one of history's most successful projects for ensuring peace and prosperity in Europe. Looking at objective metrics like GDP growth, living standards, and decades of peace between former neighboring country adversaries over centuries, EU membership has broadly benefited its members. Poland itself has seen remarkable economic growth and development since joining in 2004. The single market, freedom of movement, and shared democratic values have created unprecedented opportunities for cooperation and development. While the EU isn't perfect, characterizing membership as 'national suicide' ignores the tremendous gains in stability, prosperity, and quality of life that integration has brought to member states. imho.
- coliveira 2y agoOk, so let's compare the economy of Europe between 1950 and 1995 and from 1995 to 2004. What is the most prosperous? I think there is not even a fair comparison. The only places where you'll find any improvement are in the eastern countries because they literally left communism!
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- davidgay 2y agoThe Treaty of Rome is 1957, so those are strange dates to select…
- 2y ago
- delichon 2y agoI bet they could leverage a better deal from the EU if they get an offer from DJT first.
- spiderfarmer 2y agoProblem is, nobody takes DJT seriously. And rightfully so.
- krapp 2y agoNo, the problem is too many people take him seriously and keep voting for him.
- Aachen 2y agoYou seem to be thinking of people and corporations in the USA though. It's universally either laughing stock or facepalming in every circle I'm a part of or media I read or listen to. Nobody expects his influence to turn out well for the USA, the climate, the world economy, or anything
- palmfacehn 2y ago>It's universally either laughing stock or facepalming in every circle I'm a part of or media I read or listen to. Without wading into the partisan morass, I'll gently suggest that it might be worth checking in with alternative sources once in awhile. You don't have to agree, but it is always good to temper your views. If you are interested in these topics, it could be worth knowing what the stated intentions of an agenda are, as described by the proponents. When I take the time for this my underlying principles may not change, but I do find uncharitable interpretations and deliberate misrepresentations presented by both sides. It helps to diffuse some of the most egregious hyperbole. Otherwise, I find that I'm subjecting myself to the echochamber you describe.
- spiderfarmer 2y ago
- coldblues 2y agoIceland has been a pioneer in internet freedom and privacy, joining the EU will subjugate all it stands for.
- dkjaudyeqooe 2y agoHow do you know that Iceland won't influence the EU in that respect?
- philwelch 2y agoIceland is one exceptionally small country. The EU consists of 27 countries, all or virtually all of which are bigger than Iceland.
- WillyWonkaJr 2y agoBig countries with lots of oligarchs don't listen to small countries with small GDPs. </cynicism>
- diggan 2y agoThat sounds backwards. If Iceland is a pioneer and maybe even a stronghold for those issues, then Iceland’s joining the EU would have a better chance of influencing the entire union about those things. There are already a number of Piratpartiet members in various EU parliaments; adding Iceland would hopefully give them larger influence.
- yownie 2y agoAs of the recent parliamentary elections here there are no longer any pirate party MP's in Iceland.
- yownie 2y agoWe have not been! I speak as someone who has started both political party here (the Icelandic Pirate party) and participated in IMMI (International Modern Media Institute). Please don't buy into the hype, we have turned over the Silk road servers to the USA despite not having a MLAAT with them and took down Khilafah.is on technicality when it suited us. We also blocked the pirate bay after our version of MPAA / RIAA complained. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.is#Domain_suspensions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.is#Domain_suspensions
- netsharc 2y agoWith the Arctic turning into the next shipping route, Iceland could turn to be the Singapore of the North Atlantic, a trading hub. I mentioned this to an Icelander a few months ago, and he said China recently asked if they could build a port in the north of the country...
- ksec 2y ago>Arctic turning into the next shipping route I always wonder how realistic is this? I assume we dont need special vessel for this shipping lane and we can somehow always clear all the ice before us.
- throw0101d 2y ago> I assume we dont need special vessel for this shipping lane and we can somehow always clear all the ice before us. With climate change there are longer and longer times of the year when there is no ice. And when it does reform it is often not as thick as before, so less robust ships may be needed.
- netsharc 2y agoWe've been adjusting the temperature there so ice won't be a problem soon...
- GoldenMonkey 2y agoAnd yet, there is 26% more extent area with ice than in 2012. https://x.com/TonyClimate/status/1872304912115408920 https://x.com/TonyClimate/status/1872304912115408920
- lostlogin 2y agoCherry picking a data point is misleading. Rather than compare a record low year, why not look at a trend? https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-arctic-sea-ice https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indica...
- casenmgreen 2y agoI'd like them to be in. They're Europeans, and a nice bunch.
- spiderfarmer 2y agoFully agreed.
- behnamoh 2y ago[flagged]
- dkjaudyeqooe 2y agoTry not projecting your own racism onto others.
- behnamoh 2y ago[flagged]
- olddustytrail 2y agoStop whining right wing snowflake. You accused them of being racist with no evidence whatsoever.
- chgs 2y agoNon white countries with a European culture? Could you give an example?
- danielfoster 2y agoI'm all for European unity, but if a country is only half-committed to joining the EU, it probably should not be allowed to join under the assumption that EU support will continue to grow.
- bryanlarsen 2y agoThat rules out pretty much every member of the EU, then. Across the EU, support for EU membership is only 60%.
- kamaitachi 2y agoIt varies, as you’d expect but the number is about right Here are 2 recent reports https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/10/24/people-broadly-view-the-eu-favorably-both-in-member-states-and-elsewhere/ https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/10/24/people-br... https://encompass-europe.com/comment/clear-support-for-eu-membership-for-most-european-countries-but-emotional-attachment-to-the-nation-state-endures https://encompass-europe.com/comment/clear-support-for-eu-me...
- epolanski 2y ago60% is a very huge number, not understanding the "only" wording. Also, as an European I know virtually no people opposing EU membership, when there are, it's generally less educated people thinking that the economy or whatever would be better.
- kukkeliskuu 2y agoAs an European, I know many who oppose EU membership, but most educated people would not express it publicly because they are harrassed if they express their opinion -- supposedly only "less educated people" -- i.e. idiots -- support it. It appears that opposing EU membership is kind of a taboo, and many educated people are afraid to express their opinion on the subject. Which tells you all you need to know about the legitimacy of EU.
- 2y ago
- ksec 2y agoSo UK will basically be surrounded by EU members top and bottom?
- jessekv 2y agoStrangely enough, Faroe Islands are not EU.
- grecy 2y agoThey'll never join because it would put an end to their horrific fishing practices. (I just spent a week there)
- GeoAtreides 2y agothe useless massacre they indulge in is why I will never visit them don't want my money to support that
- dfawcus 2y agoand has land borders with two (Ireland, France).
- skunkworker 2y agoWhile in Iceland I learned from local fisherman who have conflicting thoughts on joining the EU. On one hand it could strengthen relations, but on the other they would not be able to preserve their fisheries from being over fished.
- rich_sasha 2y agoThey could presumably strike some deal, if there is political will on both sides. UK and Scandinavia got to opt out of the Euro, for example.
- smhg 2y agoYou mean Sweden and Denmark, not Scandinavia. And both have different ideas about joining the Eurozone. Norway isn't part of the EU. Finland is using the Euro.
- xenospn 2y agoWhat about whale hunting? I assume the EU would like a say about that as well?
- throw-qqqqq 2y agoAre you perhaps thinking of the Faroe Islands and their killing of pilot whales? (Grindadráp, killing hundreds of whales) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling_in_the_Faroe_Islands https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling_in_the_Faroe_Islands
- twright 2y agoI visited Iceland in 2013 and between Keflavik and Reykjavik there was a single billboard with the EU emblem and the words “Nei Takk” (no thanks). This article puts a lot of that sentiment in perspective. Our takeaway at the time was that this has to be the most effective billboard in the country as there is only one road between the major international airport and the capital.
- silexia 2y ago[flagged]
- senko 2y agoThe US can't even make Puerto Rico a US state.
- Hamuko 2y agoOr its own capital, whose citizens still have no real representation.
- philwelch 2y agoDC was built on lands ceded from the states of Maryland and Virginia for the explicit purpose of creating a national capital that was neutral ground between the various states. The residents of the District are free to vote for retrocession back to Maryland if they want representation.
- Hamuko 2y ago>if they want representation Was the US not founded on the notion that you should have representation if you are taxed?
- AlgorithmicTime 2y ago[dead]
- kristjansson 2y agoIceland is a founding member of NATO.
- dkjaudyeqooe 2y agoYes I'm sure Iceland, a typical northern European social democracy, would be very happy as part of the US.
- based2 2y agohttps://www.government.is/topics/foreign-affairs/iceland-in-europe/european-economic-area/ https://www.government.is/topics/foreign-affairs/iceland-in-...
- Simon_O_Rourke 2y agoI'm actually surprised Iceland isn't in the EU already, I had assumed it was. Is Greenland being a Danish protectorate also in the EU?
- moffkalast 2y agoWell yes but actually no: > As Greenland is one of the Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union, citizens of Greenland are European Union citizens. > In 1985, Greenland left the European Economic Community (EEC), unlike Denmark, which remains a member. The EEC later became the European Union (EU, renamed and expanded in scope in 1992). Greenland retains some ties through its associated relationship with the EU. However, EU law largely does not apply to Greenland except in the area of trade. Greenland is designated as a member of the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) and is thus officially not a part of the European Union, though Greenland can and does receive support from the European Development Fund, Multiannual Financial Framework, European Investment Bank and EU Programmes. Similar to French and other oversees territories, they can move to and work in the EU, but other EU citizens can't do the reverse. Don't have to follow the laws, yet get funding regardless. Pretty sweet deal.
- delfinom 2y agoTo be fair, Greenland basically has its own version of Native Americans, complete with a history of Europeans trying to genocide them. There's historical context why EU citizens can't freely flood into Greenland lol One of the issues they had with the EEC was basically European fishing fleets coming over and decimating their fishing stocks and thus food supplies and jobs.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- infocleaner 2y agoAn utterly strange comparison. The current Inuits are no more "native" than the Norse settlers, and in fact arrived later than the Scandinavians. Comparing the treatment of Greenlanders in any way to "genocide" is terrible. A "misguided" Western intervention, perhaps, but mostly at the wish of the Greenlandic heads.
- grahamj 2y agoCanada here, can we join too?
- burcs 2y agoI heard you all will be joining a different union of sorts here soon enough.
- grahamj 2y agoI've always joked about joining Europe because I feel we have more in common with them then our neighbour to the South, but recent comments from said neighbour's upcoming Führer have made the jokes just a tad more serious.
- grecy 2y agoI think it more likely we'll burn the White House down. Again.
- skissane 2y agoMaybe the US will break up, and then some parts of the US will join Canada. As big as the political problems the US has been having in recent years are, I don't think that's likely to happen in the short-to-medium term. But, if these problems just keep on getting worse, then eventually it may become a very real possibility.
- tills13 2y agoI'd be down to switch things up and join Cascadia as a BC resident. Though the US can keep Oregon...
- arrowsmith 2y agoWhy not the reverse? Peter Zeihan makes the case in one of his books for why Alberta should leave Canada and join the US. I’m not Canadian or American and have no dog in the fight, but it’s interesting reading.
- brubs 2y ago[flagged]
- simulosius 2y agoWhat makes you think such a nonsense?
- xhkkffbf 2y agoHow about NAFTA?
- ChumpGPT 2y agoWe used to travel to Europe and travel from country to country for an entire year. Now, we go to Europe and can spend no more than three months on the whole continent. I guess Iceland will be added to this. Why does Europe discourage long-term travelers from spending money there?
- jltsiren 2y agoMostly to discourage illegal immigration. Because there are no internal border controls, nobody knows if you are traveling from country to country or living permanently in one country.
- ncruces 2y agoQuid pro quo. Do you grant the same benefits to EU nationals - all EU nationals - travelling your way?
- chgs 2y agoWhat’s sickening is that the 15 million who voted against this and the 15 million who were denied a vote had their rights stripped because a few people who are now dead voted for “change”
- robertlagrant 2y agoWhat's this referring to? Dead people voted for change where?
- chgs 2y agoIn the 8 years since Brexit millions who voted for Brexit have died. Nobody under the age of 26 voted for Brexit, and more above the age of 26 voted remain than voted leave.
- ChumpGPT 2y agoWe are one country, Europe is an entire continent of countries. You would think there would be one that would want my money.
- bobse 2y ago[dead]
- Ecstatify 2y agoFor those who have lived and worked in multiple EU countries, the benefits of EU membership are clear, including the relatively simple process of moving between countries.
- dkkergoog 2y ago[dead]
- greybox 2y agoIceland is already in Schengen, it's a bit like Norway in that respect, without the benefit to it's currency that all the oil brings
- Ecstatify 2y agoUsing the same currency makes it easier to figure out what you’re paying and spot if you’re getting ripped off on holidays. For example: €100 EUR = 41,172.31 HUF (Hungarian Forint)
- input_sh 2y agoTechnically, the whole country could just switch to Euros without even being in the EU. Granted, the only two countries to do so (Montenegro and Kosovo) never bothered with creating their own currency to begin with, they went straight to Euros post-independence (with some disgruntlement from the EU). And then there's also two (Bulgaria and Bosnia) which are technically not using Euros, but their currencies are pegged to Euros and stupidly simple to convert (1 EUR = 1.95583 BAM/BGN, so just multiply/divide by 2).
- madars 2y agoDenmark is also in ERM II and 1 EUR ~ 7.46 DKK with a very tight band https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Exchange_Rate_Mechanism?useskin=monobook https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Exchange_Rate_Mechani...
- 2y ago
- skissane 2y agoArticle has some factual errors: > By May 1992, the EEC had been renamed the EEA (European Economic Area) and all 7 member states of EFTA signed “The EEA Agreement” alongside the 12 member states of the EC. The EEC was not renamed the EEA. The Maastricht treaty (signed February 1992, effective November 1993) established the European Union (EU), and renamed the "European Economic Community" (EEC) to the "European Community" (EC). Alongside the EEC-now-EC, there was also the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC, dissolved in 2002) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom, still exists), and the three linked Communities were known as the "European Communities", which was another expansion of "EC". And the EC formed one of the pillars of the European Union, until the Lisbon treaty (signed December 2007, effective December 2009) merged the European Community into the EU and it ceased to independently exist, although Euratom continues as essentially a subsidiary body of the EU. And then the EEA is a separate arrangement, established by a treaty between the EC, its member states, and the EFTA member states, signed May 1992, effective January 1994. So the EEC was not "renamed" to the EEA. The EEC/EC/EU and EEA are separate but overlapping arrangements – the EEA is geographically broader in scope, but topically narrower (certain EU laws and regulations are excluded from the EEA, and hence the EFTA states do not have to adopt them)
- lmm 2y ago> So the EEC was not "renamed" to the EEA. The EEC/EC/EU and EEA are separate but overlapping arrangements – the EEA is geographically broader in scope, but topically narrower (certain EU laws and regulations are excluded from the EEA, and hence the EFTA states do not have to adopt them) The EEA has much the same scope as the EEC. So in practice the EEC was renamed to the EEA (and the EC was instituted with a broader remit), even if the mechanics of how it was implemented are slightly different.
- skissane 2y ago> The EEA has much the same scope as the EEC. The EEA had several significant exclusions compared to the EEC/EC at the time of its founding: agriculture and fisheries (although it has some application to trade in those products), customs, external trade, taxation, monetary policy. Furthermore, under the Amsterdam treaty (effective 1999) the EC gained responsibilities for immigration, visas, asylum, and judicial cooperation in civil law (which were transferred from the non-EC part of the EU), and the EEA was not extended to cover those new areas (although some of them apply to the EEA member states through their independent membership of Schengen). The EEA is also excluded from the scope of the EU trade mark (f.k.a. community trade mark) and EU unitary patents. The EEA agreement promises future negotiations on extending EU patents to the EEA, but thus far nothing much has happened there, in part because actually getting a common EU patent system up and running turned out to be very difficult and despite being first proposed in the 1970s it took until 2023 to actually become a reality (the biggest obstacle, but not the only one, has been Spain's objection to Spanish not being one of the official languages of the EU patent system–the ultimate solution was to effectively give Spain an opt-out from it)
- einpoklum 2y agoJoining the EU is generally a bad idea. If Iceland does this, its citizens will likely regret it. If you don't see why, try asking Greece, or just watching "The Adults in the Room" (In fact, the people in several states in the EU thought it was a bad idea but their states' parliaments ratified Maastricht anyway.) I'm guessing the EFTA/EEC agreements are nice enough.
- arnorhs 2y agoI think both of the government parties have said they'd support a public vote for whatever EU deal gets proposed, so that's a possibility. "Getting ready to join": perhaps. But that would still take some time.
- kkkqkqkqkqlqlql 2y agoDumb question: If Iceland had been part of the EU in 2008, would they have been able not to bail out their bankers and send them to jail? Could the banking industry have been able to go to a supranational court or something? https://www.bbc.com/news/business-35485876 https://www.bbc.com/news/business-35485876
- yownie 2y agoMuch of what was written about us in 2008 was sensationalized, especially regarding us "jailing the bankers" and "rewriting the constitution" A few middle managers took the fall for the actual top bankers and served at most a few months in a country club-esque open prison for non-violent offenders. There was a news item years ago about one getting upset for losing weekend privileges to get ice cream at a local shop. Our new constitution was thrown out for not being created in an acceptable manner. Regarding your last question, we did bring in outside investigators from the EU for parts of initial investigation / prosecution. I'd recommend Sigrún Davíðsdóttir's blog (http://uti.is/ http://uti.is/) if you want more detailed coverage of what actually happened here. She's done excellent work. https://www.rna.is/eldri-nefndir/addragandi-og-orsakir-falls-islensku-bankanna-2008/skyrsla-nefndarinnar/english/ https://www.rna.is/eldri-nefndir/addragandi-og-orsakir-falls...
- insane_dreamer 2y agoGood points, but at least it was more than what US bankers got.
- runarberg 2y ago> Our new constitution was thrown out for not being created in an acceptable manner. This is not true (or at least it is not that simple [but you probably know that]). The new constitution is still a draft which was accepted to become a new constitution in a national referendum in 2012. There was nothing inadequate about the drafting of it except failure by the ruling parties to deliver in the results of the referendum (I have my theories as of why which I will say later). I think you may be referring to the judgement which made the election for the constitutional congress (a separate election the one which asked if we should adopt it, or parts of it), which was voided over (a rather petty) technicality (again I have my theories as to why). The parliament were able to bypass this by simply hiring the same people that won this election to the congress. The only thing this changes is that the mandate for writing the draft came from parliament instead of via a national election. And since it was composed of the same people, it changed absolutely nothing. Now why then hasn’t the new constitution been adopted even though the nation voted to adopt it 12 years ago? My theory is that the ruling parties are opposed to it, and don’t want it, even though the nation clearly wants it. Why are they opposed to it? My theory is that they are sheltering the interest of the fishing companies, since the new constitution makes it abundantly clear that the fisheries belong to the people of Iceland, and are not to be bought and sold like they are currently.
- treprinum 2y agoWhy would anyone outside some desperate eastern European countries want to join? EU is going down hard, since 2008 no meaningful GDP growth, flat salaries, no tech companies propelling growth, old population, all the while US and Chinese GDP is exploding. The only thing EU has is regulation and high taxes, everything else is deteriorating quickly and the rate of decline is accelerating. Barcelona, previously a jewel of Europe, now has as many homeless as LA in some areas.
- lostlogin 2y agoSo EU homelessness is as bad as the US in some places, but the EU needs to be more like the US?
- treprinum 2y agoNo, but EU with all its social agenda is now imploding at unusual places that were once considered great places to live, inflation is doing its thing. In the US tech is considered the most important engine of the economy, EU wasted over a decade and lost its only competitive company that led one large sub-field of tech (Nokia). Pretending nothing is going on won't help the EU, sooner or later this will be apparent everywhere (with a chance a hot war with Russia collapses it quicker).
- throwaway2037 2y ago> Barcelona, previously a jewel of Europe, now has as many homeless as LA in some areas. Hmm, I doubt it, but let me spend 7 seconds to Google about it. Ok, I just Googled: "Barcelona homelessness" > In December 2023, Fundació Arrels, an organization that helps the homeless, reported that 1,384 people were living on the streets in Barcelona, the highest number ever recorded. Then I Googled: "los angeles homelessness" > The 2024 count estimated that the homeless population in Los Angeles County declined by 2.2% to 45,252.
- mads 2y agoSo Barcelona homelessness is going up and Los Angeles homelessness is going down? The only reasonable conclusion must be that the homeless are relocating from Los Angeles to Barcelona. It is only a question of time then.
- dachworker 2y agoBit late to the party. Just today on a Germany political podcast (Phoenix Runde) I was hearing the "experts", the crop of people who are largely responsible for the current economical and political under performance of the union, ... musing on what the solution could be to make Europe great again. Their solution? Create an inner union of the EU countries that really matter (Germany, France, Beneleux ...etc). No I'm not making this up. It's not even the first time this idea was floated around. So to me it seems that the EU as a single block is almost finished.
- insane_dreamer 2y ago> seems that the EU as a single block is almost finished you're drawing some pretty far-fetched conclusions here Germany and France have always been the core of the EU (and its founding members).
- dachworker 2y agoEuroskeptics used to say that the EU is Germany-first and France/Benelux second and everyone else last. The EU establishment used to deny this. To actually now go out and create an inner union is to validate exactly the euroskeptic claim.
- twixfel 2y agoIt’s a podcast and you’re acting like it’s just been signed into law.
- throwaway519 2y agoCritical thinking is not one of HN's fortes. (Arguing about engineering pedantries is, but that is something different.)
- gmueckl 2y agoI have never heard this claim specifically. But it is clear that the rapid east expansion of the EU still causes friction with the other goal of having a tighly integrated political and economic union. Some steps to strengthen the union may hurt the newer member states more than it would help them in their current state. It is really hard to balance this. This is why the inner union ideas get floated from time to time. I don't necessarily think it is a good idea. I am a firm proponent of the EU. In a world where the other major powers are many times bigger than any individual European country, Europe cannot defends its interests when every member country is on its own. There are many issues with the current shape of the EU, but I see it as a necessary step on a path to something better.
- option 2y agothey should join USA instead
- 1832 2y agoActually, I am surprised Island hasn't joined the EU yet. IMO they should.
- gargan 2y agoPeople in favor of Iceland joining the EU should be honest and transparent that it's a pro inflation policy. In fact, Icelandic inflation would probably skyrocket. Why? Iceland's interest rate is 8.5% https://www.cb.is/other/key-interest-rate/ https://www.cb.is/other/key-interest-rate/ EU's interest rate is 3% https://www.ecb.europa.eu/stats/policy_and_exchange_rates/key_ecb_interest_rates/html/index.en.html https://www.ecb.europa.eu/stats/policy_and_exchange_rates/ke... The higher Icelandic rate is set for Icelanders by Icelanders in order to bring their 4.8% inflation rate down to the 2.5% target. If Iceland adopted the EU's interest rate which is mainly set for France and Germany, that would be a 5% interest rate cut which is a massive stimulus. Icelandic inflation would skyrocket and there would be no chance of hitting the 2.5% target. People should also look into Optimal Currency Area theory popularized by Paul Krugman eg https://archive.nytimes.com/krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/revenge-of-the-optimum-currency-area/ https://archive.nytimes.com/krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/0... The US Dollar works because of massive fiscal transfers from states on the coasts to states in the interior. The US also allows whole areas to deindustrialize like Detroit in order to solve the unavailability of currency adjustments between states. Are Icelanders willing to subsidize Greece? Are they willing to forgo their ability to devalue their currency like in 2008? Without devaluation that means deindustrialization. For all the above reasons, Iceland joining the EU would be the stupidest and most economically illiterate decision in it's history.
- chgs 2y agoIceland wouldn’t join the euro with inflation like that
- alecco 2y agoI'm sure one of the Big 4 accounting firms and Goldman could step up to help "fix" any problem given their experience with Greece.
- hulitu 2y ago> Iceland wouldn’t join the euro with inflation like that Nobody cares about inflation. They just need the right "democratic leaders". See Georgia. /s
- blueredmodern 2y ago[dead]
- wkat4242 2y agoThey kinda have to, now that Trump has set his sights on Greenland they know they will be next. And alone they can't fight off the US. Joking aside, I (as EU citizen) personally don't really care whether they join the EU or not. They're a bit too much out of the way, too small etc. And EFTA already covers a lot of it. But if they want to join it'd be nice. If they join they should do it forever though and not change their mind again when another conservative government comes to power. I'm really sick of Britain with all their fussy wheeling and dealing around the Brexit era (and taking attention away from real issues). That can't happen again. For three years Brexit was in the news every day with them asking for stuff they knew was impossible and acting offended when they didn't get it. I'm really glad that's over but if Iceland is so divided on this issue the same could happen again.
- yownie 2y agoI would instead prefer we went back to the idea of a Scandinavian Monetary Union / unified krona with Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Czech Republic. Denmark's krona is also pegged to the Euro. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_Monetary_Union https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_Monetary_Union
- LittleBox 2y agoReally dumb question: What does the EU actually do? I’ve read a lot about them and it’s basically always the same as reading information about it here: people saying the EU brings a lot of benefits and another person in reply of that comment saying it’s actually a non-EU treaty/document that’s to thank for that. On the other hand the EU seems like it costs the country a lot of money to be in since the country has to do their part in supporting failing economies that are also part of the EU.