Iceland's entry to EU should be fast tracked

3.18.29pm GMT Thu 9th Oct 2008

Diana Wallis, a Vice President of the European Parliament and a former Chair of the Delegation to Iceland, has written to the Commissioner responsible for Enlargement, Olli Rehn, asking him that, if Iceland should be ready to apply to join the EU, they could be fast tracked towards full membership as a solution to the enormous economic difficulties the country is facing.

"The Commissioner is to have said that Icelandic application negotiations could take a year but I understand from others that negotiations could be completed in six months possibly less. I have written to Olli Rehn asking him to fast track Iceland's entry to the EU as a quickly as possible should an application arrive.

"Of course this depends on the Icelanders themselves wishing to put in an application but I suspect the room for manoeuvre for the Government in Reykjavik is fast diminishing given the economic situation the country finds itself in. It seems that the call for entry from all sides of the political debate and from business leaders to trade unions is reaching a crescendo.

"My own feeling, having followed EU-Icelandic relations for the past 10 years or so, is that with a derogation on fishing, Iceland could be inside the EU within weeks rather than months. This has to be good news for the Iceland as I think such a compact timetable would end much of the economic uncertainty in the country."