'At the moment, we have no seat at the table,' Magnússon, leader of Iceland’s pro-EU movement, told Euractiv
Joining the euro and gaining a voice over EU rules would make membership worthwhile for Iceland, Magnús Árni Skjöld Magnússon, leader of the country’s European Movement, told Euractiv ahead of the EU referendum.
Icelanders are due to vote on 29 August on whether the country should resume accession negotiations with the EU. Iceland applied for EU membership in 2009, but talks stalled in 2013, and the country later withdrew its application.
Magnússon, who is campaigning to reopen EU talks, said Iceland is already deeply integrated into the EU but remains outside the room when rules governing much of its economy are written.
He added that Iceland should not join the EU as a second-class member. Only full membership, he argued, would give Iceland a formal say over legislation it already implements through the European Economic Area (EEA) while opening the way for the country to replace what he called the krona’s “inflationary machine” with the euro.
