REYKJAVIK — In a decisive response to the nation's narrow rejection of renewed EU membership talks, the Icelandic government has begun construction of a 2,000-kilometer fence encircling the Althing, the country's parliament, to physically bar any future accession negotiations from ever entering the building.
The barrier, made of reinforced steel and topped with barbed wire, will completely surround the parliamentary complex, with a single gate guarded by fisheries ministry officials who will check all visitors for EU documents or pro-membership literature. "We are not taking any chances," said Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir, who personally hammered the first post into the volcanic soil. "The people have spoken, and the fence ensures their voice remains the loudest thing in this chamber."
Construction crews are working around the clock, with 400 workers laying the foundation that will eventually extend from the parliament steps to the city's outer harbor, where a secondary barrier will block any EU delegation arriving by sea. The fence's path has already forced the relocation of a popular geothermal pool and rerouted the city's main bus line, which now takes a 45-minute detour around the perimeter.
Opposition lawmakers have protested the measure, but the government has announced plans to extend the fence to cover the entire island if necessary, citing the need to "protect Icelandic cod from European bureaucracy." The first test of the barrier will come next month, when a delegation of Norwegian trade officials is expected to arrive for a routine fisheries meeting and will be required to pass through a metal detector calibrated to reject any document bearing the EU flag.