European Union

Icelanders have a tricky problem on their hands, pulling the society out of several serious messes they have landed in, not only because of the banking collapse but also social issues that were brewing long before then. One option that is suddenly getting attention is the idea of joining the European Union. 

When the EU was created many years ago, I remember telling my cousin that Iceland should not join, that in fact the premise of independent nations within the EU would eventually give way to the sort of seamlessness one finds in the United States. Sure the states have differences, both legal and cultural. But the legal differences are easy enough to adapt to, as soon as one is informed as to what they are; the basic format is the same in every State, the legal structure the same even if the laws vary. And the cultural differences between states is no greater than the cultural differences within most states, really. So the 50 states of the United States really do make one nation, as odd as that seems.  

These days I am less up in arms about the EU. To me it just seems like the natural course of things for Iceland to join, but then that is surely an American perspective. And thus I have adopted a decidedly neutral stance on the subject. 

Comments

ג. ג. said…
The EU is far from being the USA. Nationalism in Europe is much more rooted than America and for Iceland the question to join should be mainly economic. The fact that Iceland is an island kind of protect it from the influence of the continent, what is left is to leave the economics do the math and see if its worth it for Iceland to join or not.
April 5, 2009 at 8:09 PM
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