Iceland’s E.U. Referendum, Explained

Iceland's Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen are pictured in Brussels on Jan.

14, 2026. —Simon Wohlfahrt––Getty Images Iceland is holding a long-awaited referendum on Aug.

29 to decide whether the country should resume accession negotiations with the European Union .

The country initially applied for E.U. membership in 2009, but accession negotiations were halted upon a change in government in 2013.

Then, in 2015, Iceland announced it "should not be regarded as a candidate country for E.U. membership.” However, the membership application was never formally withdrawn.

Iceland’s Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir said she believes now “is a great time for Iceland to join [the E.U.] because of the geopolitical situation we're in.” She praised the conduct of the E.U. in recent years and said it had made her want to expedite the referendum process.

The E.U. is “looking strategically around.

They're aware that the world is changing.

The Arctic has increased focus now, and I think a lot of European countries, and the European bureaucracy in Brussels is aware, that they need increased flexibility for Europe to stay more modern,” she said .

"This is where Iceland comes in." Read More : Why the Movements of a U.S.

Oil Company in Greenland Have Attracted Attention The E.U. in June signaled a willingness to enlarge the bloc by opening the first negotiating clusters for Ukraine and Moldova.

Here’s what you need to know about Iceland's referendum, what will be asked of the roughly 400,000-strong population, and what could come next.

What is the referendum about and what will voters be asked? The exact question being put to voters for a yes or no answer is: “Should Iceland reopen accession negotiations with the European Union?” Eirikur Bergmann, a professor of politics at Bifröst University in Iceland, describes the vote as more of a "pre-referendum," because while it could resume negotiations, it does not mean Iceland is set to join the bloc.

What are "accession negotiations"? Accession negotiations are the formal process by which a country and the E.U. set out the conditions for admission into the bloc.