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Iceland to hold referendum on EU membership

2026-02-25 22:44:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Iceland to hold referendum on EU membership

Iceland will hold a referendum on membership in the European Union in the coming months, the country's Prime Minister, Kristrun Frostadottir, announced at a press conference in Poland.

"Over the coming months, we will work to prepare for the referendum, a referendum on the possible reopening of accession negotiations with the European Union," she told reporters after a meeting with Poland's Prime Minister, Donald Tusk.

In 2013, Reykjavik abandoned EU membership talks after four years of negotiations, but a rising cost of living and the ongoing war in Ukraine in recent years have revived the island nation's interest in joining the bloc.

The country's ruling coalition was expected to hold a vote on reopening accession talks in 2027. This would mark the final chapter in the EU's potential enlargement, with the Western Balkan state of Montenegro steadily advancing towards membership in 2028.

Brussels has also drawn up plans for Ukraine to secure partial membership in the coming years. This comes against a backdrop of geopolitical turmoil, following Russia's full invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Donald Trump's expressed desire for the US to annex Greenland and the swift imposition of tariffs by the US.

Iceland participates in the EU's single market as part of the European Economic Area (EEA), but is not a full member. It is also a full member of the Schengen Area, which allows the free movement of people from Europe.

Frostadottir, speaking in Warsaw, said she discussed with her Polish counterpart Iceland's desire to maintain its Arctic identity within the EU. Tusk, who previously served as president of the European Council and led negotiations for Britain's exit from the bloc, said he would be "more than happy" to see Iceland join, adding that the bloc may need to "be more flexible" in talks for that to happen. /CNA





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