Iceland faces EU referendum: landmark referendum

Landmark referendum

Iceland before EU referendum: Yes to new accession talks?

Iceland’s future EU course will be decided today. And the vote could be extremely close. Is the volcanic island heading towards Brussels again?

Today it’s for Iceland about Europe: In a referendum, the residents of the volcanic island vote on the resumption of EU accession talks. If you vote “yes,” that paves the way for new negotiations Brussels free. If the vote is “no,” the government has promised to drop the project.

More than 270,000 Icelanders are called upon to cast their votes. According to Icelandic television, a fifth of them have already checked the box in advance. Everything points to a close race.

The Social Democratic head of government Kristrún Frostadóttir had already announced to her compatriots a vote on new EU negotiations when she took office at the end of 2024.

Even if the outcome of the referendum says nothing about whether Iceland would actually become a member of the EU at the end of possible accession talks, much of the debate in recent weeks has focused on the advantages of full membership.

“I think this is one of the most important steps we can take to reduce risks,” Frostadóttir said on Icelandic television. In uncertain times like these, when international relations are changing, the question is whether a small country like Iceland should move closer to larger states and alliances. “We see around us that countries in our neighborhood have been protected by the European Union.”

Whether they do that too Greenland means? The repeated threats from US President Donald Trumpthat too Denmark The idea of ​​annexing the Arctic island to the United States has also sparked unrest in Iceland. Many Icelanders wonder how reliable it is with the 1951 USA concluded bilateral defense agreements still exist. And Iceland cannot defend itself alone. The island is a founding member of the NATObut has no army of its own.

Iceland is also already heavily integrated into Europe economically: the country is part of the European Economic Area and enjoys the advantages of the internal market – but has no say in important decisions.

The country, which has a population of just around 400,000, had already applied for EU membership during the financial crisis in 2009. But the initiative came to nothing: after the 2013 parliamentary elections, the new, EU-sceptic government put accession plans on hold.