Iceland votes on whether to start EU membership talks
Polls show a razor-thin race as supporters say EU talks could ease high rates and boost security, while opponents warn of lost control over fisheries.
- On Saturday, Icelanders voted on whether to reopen European Union membership talks, with the nation of roughly 400,000 people deeply divided over sovereignty, fishing rights, and the cost of living.
- Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Gunnarsdottir advocates for reopening negotiations, citing security pressures in a shifting international order. Supporters argue membership could ease high inflation and interest rates, which stand at 8.00%.
- Former Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir warned on Thursday that "For a country like ours with our small economy, it's very important to maintain our sovereignty." Opponents fear membership would compromise control over fishing waters.
- Should voters approve, the decision would only initiate discussions with Brussels. Vilhjalmur Hilmarsson, chief economist at Viska, said membership "could become a catalyst to a more healthy economy" despite not solving structural faults.
- A foreign ministry memo estimates accession talks could span 18 to 24 months if negotiations resume by the end of 2026. A mandatory general election by November 2028 adds political uncertainty to any negotiating timeline.
243 Articles
243 Articles
Iceland votes on whether to start EU membership talks, results too close to call
Iceland first applied to join the EU in 2009, amid a financial crisis that hit the country's small, exposed economy especially hard, and talks ended under a Eurosceptic government in 2013.
Iceland's citizens are called to the polls this Saturday, 29 August 2026, to decide whether the country should resume the negotiations for accession to the European Union (EU), interrupted for more than a decade. The vote takes place between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. local time, and the results should be known on Sunday.
Iceland will hold a referendum on Saturday on whether to reopen accession negotiations with the European Union.
Polls have opened in Iceland to decide whether to reopen EU accession negotiations, a question that has preoccupied the country for over a decade. The referendum was also prompted by changing geopolitical circumstances in the world. Polls ahead of the vote showed Icelanders divided on the issue.
BRUSSELS is a referendum with a very uncertain outcome that will take place today in Iceland. The voters are called upon to decide whether to reopen the negotiations for membership of the European Union, which have been interrupted...
‘The sauna is hot and uncomfortable’: Vote on joining EU makes Iceland sweat
TALKNAFJORDUR, Iceland — Gudlaug Bjornsdottir had warned her family. If the talk over the dinner table turned to Iceland’s coming referendum on opening talks to join the European Union, she would get up and leave. The post ‘The sauna is hot and uncomfortable’: Vote on joining EU makes Iceland sweat appeared first on Hawaii Tribune-Herald.
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