Iceland’s Foreign Minister expressed confidence that her nation could join the European Union by 2028 if voters approve resuming membership talks. The Nordic country plans to hold a referendum in August on restarting negotiations that were suspended in 2013.

Iceland’s top diplomat believes her nation could become a member of the European Union within four years if citizens vote to restart membership discussions that have been on hold for over a decade.

Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir shared her confidence during a Wednesday interview with Reuters in Brussels, stating that fishing rights and agricultural policies would likely present the biggest challenges during negotiations.

Voters in Iceland will decide on August 29 whether to resume EU membership discussions through a national referendum. The previous government halted these talks in 2013 after more EU-skeptical leaders came to power in Reykjavik.

“We have seen that it’s beneficial to have a voice at the table,” Gunnarsdottir stated during her Brussels interview.

The minister anticipates that fishing industry negotiations will prove most challenging, given Iceland’s history of disputes with the EU over fishing quotas that significantly impact the country’s economic foundation.

Gunnarsdottir emphasized that renewed negotiations should immediately address the most contentious areas, including fishing rights, agricultural policies, and labor market regulations.

“If we do that, then I’m pretty optimistic then we will be, before the end of the year 2028, a member of the European Union,” she added.

The island nation, with nearly 400,000 residents, helped establish NATO and currently participates in the European single market and Schengen border-free travel agreement.

Polling data indicates that rising living costs and Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine have sparked renewed interest among Icelanders in EU membership.

President Donald Trump’s repeated statements about potentially annexing Greenland, positioned between Iceland and the United States, have also highlighted potential EU membership benefits.

“Iceland is there in the middle, a kind of link between those two continents,” she said.

Citizens would need to approve membership through a second referendum if initial talks receive voter support.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas expressed support, stating: “Should you choose to pursue EU membership, Iceland would certainly be a frontrunner in this process.”