"Iceland's government is considering holding a referendum on EU relations as early as August, according to two sources cited by news publication Politico. Reykjavik had pledged to hold the vote on restarting talks on joining the bloc by 2027. But growing geopolitical uncertainty could lead to those plans being brought forward. US President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on Iceland and his stated desire to annex Greenland have created jitters in the country of 400,000 people."
""I make no secret of the fact that I would like to see this process accelerated," Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir told the Reuters news agency last week. "I hope that this will happen sooner rather than later," she said, given the "completely different geopolitical environment." What happened to Iceland's previous EU bid? Iceland already applied for EU membership in 2009 after being badly hit by the 2008 financial crisis."
Iceland is considering an accelerated referendum on EU relations as early as August, ahead of a previously pledged 2027 vote on restarting accession talks. Geopolitical shifts, including US tariffs on Iceland, threats regarding Greenland, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and US-EU trade tensions, are driving renewed interest in the EU. Iceland applied for EU membership in 2009, began negotiations in 2010, suspended talks in 2013, and formally withdrew its application in 2015. Polls favor a referendum but show ambivalence about full membership. The Social Democratic Alliance promised a referendum; one coalition partner opposes accession. Parliament may announce the date within weeks, and EU officials have recently met Icelandic politicians.
Read at www.dw.com
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