Iceland’s government proposed that a referendum be held on August 29 on resuming the country’s EU membership talks after they were terminated in 2015.
The North Atlantic island submitted an EU membership application in 2009, a year after the stunning collapse of its financial sector. Negotiations began in 2010 but were suspended three years later following parliamentary elections, and in 2015, the then-government announced the talks were terminated.
Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir told reporters she would present the proposal to parliament early next week. It remained unclear whether the government had a majority for its resolution.
“We intend to ask the nation the following question: ‛Should negotiations on Iceland’s accession to the European Union continue?’ And then the nation can answer with two options: ‛Yes, negotiations should continue’, or ‛No, they should not continue’,” she said.
An opinion poll published in early February by public broadcaster RUV indicated that the Icelandic public was evenly divided on the question of EU membership.
The three parties of the centre-left coalition government had agreed in their government platform to hold a vote on the issue by the end of 2027. Prime Minister Kristrún Mjöll Frostadóttir said the time was now right to put the question to the Icelandic people.
“Iceland is strong economically, but also in terms of national self-confidence, and thus able to make this decision,” she said.
