Iceland to Vote on Restarting EU Talks

Iceland will hold a referendum “in the coming months” on whether to reopen accession negotiations with the European Union, Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir announced on Feb. 25, 2026. 

Speaking at a joint press conference in Warsaw alongside Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, she made clear the vote would not determine final EU membership but instead ask whether talks suspended in 2013 should resume.

“In the coming months we are going to have a referendum on opening up the negotiations, the accession negotiations for Iceland to possibly join the EU,” Frostadóttir said. 

She added, “Over the next few months, we will be working to prepare for the referendum, a referendum on the possible reopening of accession negotiations with the European Union.”

Accession talks were first launched after Iceland applied for membership in 2009, in the wake of its financial crisis. 

Negotiations formally opened in 2010 and advanced across multiple chapters before a Eurosceptic right-wing government suspended the process in 2013.

The application was later withdrawn in 2015, leaving the issue dormant for more than a decade.

The current center-left coalition, formed after a snap election in November 2024 and led by the Social Democratic Alliance under Frostadóttir, pledged to revisit the EU question.

Reopening negotiations was a campaign commitment shared with coalition partners including the Reform Party (Viðreisn).

No referendum date has been set. Parliament is expected to announce a timetable within the next few weeks. 

Some reports, citing sources familiar with preparations, suggest the vote could take place as early as August 2026—earlier than the coalition’s original pledge of “no later than 2027.”

If voters approve reopening talks, negotiations would resume from the framework previously advanced between 2010 and 2013.

One EU official has suggested chapters could theoretically close in about 1 year, though others consider that timeline ambitious.

The renewed push reflects a combination of domestic and geopolitical pressures. Rising living costs and economic uncertainty have sharpened debate over Iceland’s long-term positioning.

Geopolitical shifts—including Russia’s war in Ukraine—have also reinforced arguments for deeper European integration.

Iceland has no standing army and relies on NATO for defense guarantees. 

Questions about long-term U.S. commitments under President Donald Trump, including rhetoric concerning Greenland and proposed tariffs on Icelandic goods, have added urgency to the discussion.

Iceland is already closely integrated with the EU through the European Economic Area (EEA), the Schengen Area, and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

Public opinion remains closely divided. Recent surveys show roughly 42–45 percent support EU membership, with 35–42 percent opposed. 

Support for holding a referendum on reopening negotiations is higher, often exceeding 55 percent. Fisheries policy and the future of the Icelandic króna versus euro adoption remain central concerns for opponents.

The referendum marks the first concrete institutional step toward potential EU membership since talks were frozen 13 years ago.