8/13/2004

Not the right time for Iceland to join the EU

Ben BradshawIn a visit to Iceland few days ago Ben Bradshaw, the british Fisheries Minister, said that now is not the right time for Iceland to join the European Union. He also said that he understood very well that Icelanders were not interested in joining the EU in light of the current situation of the fish industry whithin the Union.

Commenting on ideas of Icelandic Europhiles, that Iceland could hold full authority over it's territorial waters despite joining the EU, Mr. Bradshaw said it would simply not work. If Iceland was given such an immunity it would be very hard to refuse other memberstates of the same thing. It would mean the end of the CFP.