Icelandic, Irish Officials Say EU Must Get Tougher, Leaner
Speaking on a panel at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in southern Türkiye, Iceland's Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir revealed that her government is seeking to revive stalled negotiations over EU membership, driven in part by mounting economic vulnerabilities at home.
She pointed to Iceland's outsized financial pressures as a key driver of that push, noting that the country carries inflation rates two to three times higher than the European average and interest rates hovering around 8%.
"We have the smallest currency in the world," she said, underscoring the urgency of securing greater economic stability through closer European integration.
Gunnarsdottir pushed back against the notion that EU competitiveness should be reduced to metrics of growth, deregulation, or pace alone.
"Part of the very big bulk of Europe's competitiveness is that Europe is sticking to its values," she said, arguing the bloc must amplify its voice on democracy, human rights, freedom, and territorial integrity.
The Icelandic minister singled out the EU's unified stance in support of Denmark over the Greenland dispute for particular praise.
"It was quite important and impressive when the nations of the European Union stood by Denmark's side," she said.
Gunnarsdottir also advocated for deeper partnerships between the EU and non-member states, including Türkiye and Iceland itself. "Turkey, as Iceland, I think when you hold to your principles, then all these countries, we can be stronger together," she said.
Cutting Red Tape
Across the panel, Ireland's Minister of State for European Affairs and Defense Thomas Byrne zeroed in on a different but equally pressing challenge: the EU's bureaucratic burden on business.
"On some occasions, I think we have gone too far with some of the bureaucratic requirements," he said, calling on the bloc to streamline its regulatory environment and ease compliance demands on enterprises.
Byrne said the EU is now focused on translating the reform blueprints laid out in the Draghi and Letta reports into concrete action, with the goal of enhancing the single market's efficiency and restoring the bloc's competitive footing.
He also offered a pointed reminder of the EU's origins, noting that Saturday marked the 75th anniversary of the Treaty of Paris — the founding document of the European Coal and Steel Community — and reaffirming that at its core, the EU remains "a peace project."
On bilateral ties, Byrne expressed Ireland's firm commitment to strengthening its relationship with Türkiye, citing fertile ground for modernization and expanded commercial cooperation.
"Ireland wants very strong relations with Türkiye, that's for sure. And we think there is an opportunity to modernize the relationship, to look at the opportunities that are there," he said.
Byrne drew on a deeply personal historical thread to illustrate the depth of that bond, recalling that his hometown still honours the memory of a Turkish ship that delivered food aid to Ireland during the devastating famine of the 1840s — a gesture still reflected in the town's civic symbolism today. "There's a willingness to work with Türkiye," he added.
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