March 6, 2026, 3:53 p.mMarch 6, 2026, 3:53 p.m
Iceland’s government wants to let the population vote on the resumption of accession negotiations with the European Union.
A referendum on this will take place on August 29th, as Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir announced at a press conference on Friday.
Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir said Iceland’s negotiating position as a reliable and strong partner to the EU is good. Iceland is already working closely with the EU through cooperation in the European Economic Area and participation in Schengen.
Iceland’s Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir.Image: keystone
Iceland applied for EU membership after the financial crisis
These are not the first attempts to deepen this cooperation: the country, which was hit hard by the financial crisis, had already officially applied for membership in the European Union in 2009, and accession negotiations began a year later. A few years later, however, the then EU-critical government put this on ice again.
The current world situation has caused many Icelanders to rethink. After winning the election at the end of 2024, the EU-friendly government led by the Social Democrats had originally announced a referendum on whether accession negotiations would be continued until 2027. This should now happen at the end of August. The government plans to present an official proposal to parliament at the beginning of next week.
45 percent of Icelanders want to see their country in the EU
If the Icelanders agree to the negotiations and they are successful, the citizens should have the opportunity to decide on accession in another referendum, it was said. According to recent opinion polls, 45 percent of Icelanders support EU membership, according to Icelandic Radio. One point of contention in possible negotiations is likely to be fishing – an important economic factor in Iceland. (hkl/sda/dpa)