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Iceland Facing EU Membership Vote as Parties Form Center-Right Coalition

© Flickr / Jennifer BoyerIceland
Iceland - Sputnik International
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Three parties in Iceland have agreed to form a coalition government to end the country's two-and-a-half month-long political impasse, with the parliament to also vote on whether to hold a referendum on joining the European Union.

The center-right Independence party, along with the Reform and Bright Future groups, will combine to have 32 seats in the 63-seat parliament, holding a majority of one.

While the Independence and Reform parties struck a deal on Monday, January 10, Bright Future officials said they had made an agreement overnight, in a decision that ends the country's political impasse, which has seen Iceland without a government since October's election.

​"The agreement was, after a discussion, voted on by the management by electronic voting and was accepted by the party," Bright Future spokesman Unsteinn Johannsson told Reuters.

Perhaps the most eye-catching of the new developments is the pledge to undertake a parliamentary vote on whether to hold a referendum to join the EU.

​The issue of EU accession is a controversial and contentious one in Iceland, with political parties and society deeply divided on the matter.

Highlighting the divisions within the country, not even the three coalition partners are aligned on the EU issue. The Reform and Bright Future parties back membership while the Independence party, the largest in parliament with 21 seats, opposes joining the bloc.

© REUTERS / GeirixBjarni Benediktsson of the Independence Party poses for a picture with Iceland's president Gudni Johannesson (R) in Reykjavik, Iceland November 2, 2016
Bjarni Benediktsson of the Independence Party poses for a picture with Iceland's president Gudni Johannesson (R) in Reykjavik, Iceland November 2, 2016 - Sputnik International
Bjarni Benediktsson of the Independence Party poses for a picture with Iceland's president Gudni Johannesson (R) in Reykjavik, Iceland November 2, 2016

Iceland and the EU

Following the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis, Iceland applied to join the EU in 2009, with negotiations starting a year later.

However, concerns over the impacts of joining the 28-nation bloc led officials in Reykjavik to suspend its application in 2013, with foreign minister, Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson announcing in 2015 that: "Iceland's interests are better served outside the European Union."

Thousands of protesters gather in front of the Parliament in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik on February 24, 2014 to demand a referendum amid a government bid to pull out of EU accession talks without a popular vote. - Sputnik International
With or Without EU: Iceland to Hold Referendum on European Union Membership
​Pro-EU figures in the country have argued that Iceland's long-term economic security lies within the 28-nation bloc, pointing to the devastating impact of the 2008 financial crisis on Iceland's banking industry as an example of how being part of a larger bloc would help the country.

Critics have pointed to the thorny issue of fishing quotas as a major hurdle to joining the EU.

Fishing represents a large slice of the Icelandic economy, with fears EU quotas could cripple the industry and damage Iceland's trading capability.

While not part of the EU, Iceland is a member of the European Economic Area (EEA).

​If the country was to vote in favor of joining the EU, then all members states would also have to ratify such a decision in their respective national parliaments.

The timing of the EU debate also comes at a time of concern in Brussels following Britain's decision to leave the union and the rise of Euroskeptic movements across the continent.

EU officials have remained coy on the idea of further expansion in the near future, instead preferring to consolidate current members.    

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