Iceland rejects resumption of negotiations with the European Union

Referendum in Iceland

On August 29, a referendum on joining the European Union was held in Iceland, in which 52.8% of the population did not support the resumption of accession negotiations. According to other sources, more than 52% of voters said no. Imedi+2

Shalva Papuashvili's assessment

The Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papuashvili, stated that the decision of the Icelandic population is a failure of Brussels' current political leadership. According to him, the Icelandic people saw a risk in the process of resuming negotiations with the European Union. Imedi+2

According to Papuashvili's explanation, this result is caused by the existing distrust towards the European Union, which is linked to the possible risks of ceding part of sovereignty and being deprived of the right to vote in the decision-making process. The Chairman of the Parliament noted that Iceland, as a NATO member and a country highly integrated with the European Union, did not take this step because it considers Brussels' policy to be damaging. Imedi+2

Opposition's assessment

In parallel with the Icelandic referendum, Shalva Papuashvili also spoke about the situation in the Georgian opposition and noted that they have started a "fever of autumn political activity," which is mainly expressed in confrontation with each other. Interpressnews