UK Prime Minister, David Cameron and his Icelandic counterpart, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson met last night during Cameron’s visit to Iceland ahead of the Northern Future Forum Summit, reports Vísir.
It is assumed that Cameron will use the forum to challenge the Leave campaign’s claim that Britain should exit the European Union or negotiate some kind of a semi-detached relationship.
Sigmundur Davíð however, told the BBC that a looser relationship with the EU “might be better for the UK.”
Iceland, like Norway, is a trading partner with the EU and is not a full member, a status that Sigmundur Davíð says “British politicians could look into”, saying being outside the EU has been “essential” to his country’s prosperity, and for the “things that really matter”, they are in full control.
Asked if the looser relationship his country has with the EU was a model for the UK, he said: “I wouldn’t like to tell British politicians what to do – concerning the EU, it maybe one of the things they want to look into when they have this debate about Britain’s relationship with the EU. Maybe some third alternative is better for the UK, I couldn’t say or at at least I wouldn’t like to speculate.”
Cameron meanwhile, is hoping to use the summit to attack euroscepticism, arguing that having a seat at the table is more important and even those outside of the EU must pay financial contributions to the European Union, adhere to the principle of free movement of people across the EU and adopt directives relating to the single market.
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