Nieuwe premier IJsland noemt EU-visserijbeleid neo-koloniaal (en)

Iceland will get a new prime minister today when one of Europe's longest serving prime ministers, Davíd Oddsson steps down.

The new head of the North Atlantic country is foreign minister Halldór Asgrímsson, a pro-European who, however, recently named the EU fisheries policy neo-colonial.

"The Common Fisheries Policy of the European Union makes it difficult for the nations in the North West Atlantic to see themselves inside the Union", Mr Asgrímsson said in a major policy speech earlier this month.

He called upon the European Union to change the fisheries policy and to show the necessary flexibility towards the Northern part of Europe.

"I want to go as far as saying that Norway did not reject EU membership ... it was the European Union that rejected Norway with unacceptable terms for membership. They made Norway an offer that it could only refuse", Mr Asgrímsson stated.

The North Atlantic States depend heavily upon fisheries for a living. Iceland gets as much as 60 percent of its export value from fisheries.

Outdated views

"The main reason it does not work is that the policy is based on outdated views on fisheries. Fisheries are regarded as an agricultural activity closely related to social policy and regional policy", Mr Asgrímsson added in his speech.

"Why did the European Union not demand control over British oil resources, the steel in Sweden, the forests in Finland or the vineyards in France? There is no fundamental difference between these properties and the fisheries resource within the exclusive economic zone", he asked.

Mr Asgrímsson has usually been considered positive towards the EU although his party, the Progressive Party, is split on the issue. The policy of the party is not to put EU membership on the agenda.

The exchange of top-posts in Iceland was agreed after the last parliament elections in May 2003 when the Independence Party and the Progress Party renewed their cooperation and formed a new government.