Conflict over terugbetaling Icesave-schulden geen belemmering voor kandidatuur voor EU-lidmaatschap (en)
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The Spanish presidency of the European Union has told Iceland that the Icesave bank dispute with the Netherlands and the UK is unrelated to its bid to join the EU i.
According to a statement from the Icelandic foreign ministry, the country's foreign affairs chief spoke with his Spanish counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos, on Saturday (9 January) by telephone.
"The Spanish EU Presidency viewed the Icesave issue and Iceland's EU application as separate issues, and that the new situation that has arisen in Iceland would not have any impact on EU's treatment of the application," the statement said.
On Friday, Mr Moratinos had told reporters that the dispute "could slow the [EU] negotiation process a bit."
Iceland's president, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, last week refused to sign a bill passed by the Althingi, the country's parliament, that would see Reykjavik pay back London and the Hague the €3.8 billion they spent to compensate British and Dutch savers who lost money when their accounts with the online savings bank, Icesave, were frozen following the collapse of the parent company, Landsbanki.
London and the Hague have hinted that they may block Iceland's EU accession or obstruct the IMF i's $10 billion rescue package for the country.
Reykjavik has since engaged in a scramble of financial diplomacy to reassure creditors and save its EU bid.
Icelandic foreign minister Ossur Skarphedinsson spoke with his British counterpart, David Milliband on 7 January, in which, again according to Reykjavik, Mr Milliband said that the UK would continue to support Iceland's EU application.
The same view was put forward in a conversation between the Icelandic Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir i and the UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown i the day before, Iceland said.
Separately, Eva Joly, the Franco-Norwegian Green MEP and an advisor to Iceland's special prosecutor investigating the causes of the economic crisis, has sharply criticised London and the Hague's treatment of Iceland.
"The Netherlands and the UK are being arrogant," she said in an interview with the top Dutch economic newspaper, NRC Handelsblad. "They are asking for €2.7 and €1.3 billion respectively at 5.5 percent interest. But Iceland's public debt amounts to 300 percent of GDP. They will never be able to pay back the whole amount."