Iceland to introduce bill on EU talks

REYKJAVIK, Iceland, May 7 (UPI) -- Iceland's government will introduce a bill in parliament authorizing it to begin talks to join the European Union, the country's prime minister said.

"There will be a government resolution (on EU talks) tabled," Social Democrat Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir told the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service.

She didn't say when the bill would be put forward.

Sigurdardottir, 66, argues that EU membership, along with abandoning the krona currency for the euro within four years, would help Iceland work its way out of debt and its deep financial crisis.

Her government's coalition partner, the socialist Left-Green party, is more cautious, saying it fears the 27-nation union would gain control of Iceland's fishing waters and other natural resources, the EUobserver reported.

The party wants Icelanders to approve any entry application in a referendum first and have a second vote on entry terms agreed on with Brussels.

A Gallup poll Wednesday indicated 61.2 percent of Icelanders asked said they favored starting EU membership talks and 29.6 percent of respondents did not, although the question of actual membership still divides them, EUobserver said.

While not an EU member, Iceland is a member of the European Economic Area, letting it participate in the European single market.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said Jan. 30 he thought Iceland could join the European Union with Croatia in 2011, provided its application was submitted soon. He said Iceland's approval would be quick, largely because, as an EEA member, Iceland already has implemented about two-thirds of EU law.