Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir met with European Union Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office, had a “positive and substantial” meeting.
Also in attendance was Olli Rehn, who is in charge of the commission responsible for EU enlargement.
According to the statement, at the meeting they discussed Iceland’s current position in the world, and its relationship with both the EU and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Prime Minister emphasized that she would consider it unfortunate and unproductive to connect the current Icesave debacle with other factors of reviewing Iceland’s economic outlook.
She added that she believed many Icelanders consider themselves victims of a poorly written European Economic Area (EEA) law, which many have cited as showing Iceland’s responsibility for covering Icesave deposits.
“This was a very positive and productive meeting,” the prime minister told reporters in part. “We had an honest discussion about Icesave and about Iceland’s position. There was a great deal of understanding [from EU officials].”
Iceland applied for EU membership, but the EU has yet to vote on the matter. Should they accept the application, the matter would be taken up in public referendum in Iceland.