Iceland is considering holding a referendum on restarting talks to join the European Union as early as August, significantly accelerating an earlier timeline that had pushed any vote to 2027, according to two sources cited by Politico.
The sources said Iceland’s parliament could announce ballot dates within weeks. A positive vote would reopen accession negotiations and could allow Iceland to join the bloc ahead of other candidate countries.
The move reflects changing geopolitical realities, including a recent decision by the United States to impose tariffs on Reykjavik and remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump threatening the annexation of Greenland, the report said.
The EU has been seeking to expand, with Brussels advancing proposals that could grant Ukraine partial membership next year, while Montenegro, the current frontrunner among candidates, is preparing to conclude another round of negotiations in January.
Contacts between EU officials and Icelandic leaders have intensified in recent weeks. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos met Iceland’s Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir in Brussels last month. Commenting on Iceland’s candidacy, Kos told Politico that the “conversation around enlargement is now shifting,” adding that it is increasingly focused on security, belonging and Europe’s ability to act in a world of competing spheres of influence.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who met Iceland’s Prime Minister Kristrun Frostradottir in January, has praised efforts to deepen cooperation between Reykjavik and the EU.
Iceland’s interest in EU membership dates back to 2009, when it applied in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. Accession talks began the following year but were frozen in 2013 after a change in government, and by 2015, Iceland formally withdrew its bid.
While opinion polls show broad support for holding a referendum, public opinion remains divided on full EU membership. Iceland is already closely integrated with the bloc through the European Economic Area and the Schengen free-travel zone, and is a founding member of NATO. According to the EU official cited by Politico, this alignment could allow negotiations to proceed quickly if talks are restarted.
(This article was written by Aanchal Pannu. She is an intern at StratNewsGlobal)