- WIADOMOŚCI
Iceland on the path to resuming accession negotiations with the EU
Later this year, the citizens of Iceland will decide whether the country should resume its suspended accession negotiations.
On March 6, the Icelandic government announced that a referendum would be held on August 29 to determine whether Iceland’s accession talks with the European Union should be resumed. The country applied for EU membership in 2009, but the accession process was ultimately halted in 2015.
Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir emphasized that “in our talks with the EU, we will seek to preserve our resources and financial stability.” This statement carries particular weight amid social tensions on the island regarding potential accession. Opponents of joining the Union point to issues such as the sovereignty of fishing grounds—which form the backbone of the local economy— the inclusion of Iceland’s energy resources, including geothermal energy, in the EU’s single market, and the need to implement EU agricultural directives.
According to a Gallup poll conducted between February 19 and March 4, a majority of Icelanders are generally in favor of joining the Union. Fifty-seven percent of respondents supported continuing accession negotiations with the EU, while just over 30 percent were opposed. If most Icelandic citizens indeed vote in favor, the country’s accession process is expected to proceed relatively smoothly. Iceland’s Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir noted that her country is already part of the European Economic Area, and its market is largely integrated.
Holding a referendum on resuming EU accession negotiations is part of the coalition agreement of the current ruling government. The coalition includes the Social Democratic Alliance, the liberal Reform Party, and the People’s Party.
In the context of Iceland’s potential rapprochement with the EU, attention is drawn to the country’s strategic location in the North Atlantic—close to Greenland and the rest of the Arctic. Moreover, Iceland is a member of NATO and has a defense agreement with the United States. The country is rich in natural resources, with fisheries remaining a particularly important sector of its economy.
