Iceland is in EEA. EEA is already EU-lite, where they have to comply with plenty of EU regulations, don't get a vote on those regulations, but get some exemptions (such as their fishing thing).

Other two countries in EEA are Norway and Liechtenstein.

The fishing thing is almost 40% of our export.

We cannot even keep up with the EU-lite regulations today.

But anyways, the vote is most certainly, but close, no.

I'm not saying that Iceland should join the EU. Nor that it shouldn't. I don't live in Iceland.

I was explaining to the commenter above me that Iceland already has to comply to EU regulations, because he seemed unaware of that.

Unsurprisingly, every thread on HN that mention EU seems to attract all sorts of people that have absolutely no idea of what the hell they are talking about.

They're in the single market already.

The presence of EU across the sea is making their exporters to comply, same goes for UK. Does not matter if you are a member or not. You can either comply with the roles or not export to EU.

This is a great example of how people comment very confidently on shit they know nothing about.

Iceland complies with EU because it belongs to the EEA. It has nothing to do with "precence of EU across the sea".

UK doesn't have to comply with th EU. It has to if it t wants to be able to export stuff there.

Your comment is a great example of getting triggered and then agreeing with everything what I have written.

Except, no.

Iceland has to comply with EU because it is in the EEA. The situation of Iceland is completely different than the situation of the UK.

The UK has to comply with the EU as much as Nicaragua, New Zealand, Namibia, etc.

I did not said anything what would disagree with your claims.

If you are an exporter and exporting goods to EU you have to comply with EU rules if you like it or not and whether you are a member or not.

That's not why Iceland has to comply with the EU.

Iceland has to comply with the EU because it chose to belong to the EEA.