Iceland votes on whether to reopen negotiations for European Union membership.
Trump’s push for control of Greenland has added a security dimension to the vote.
Fishing rights and sovereignty remain central to Iceland’s debate over EU membership.
Icelanders are voting on Saturday on whether to reopen negotiations for European Union membership, with the referendum taking place as US President Donald Trump’s continued interest in controlling nearby Greenland raises fresh questions about Iceland’s security and its relationship with Europe.
Around 265,000 eligible voters are being asked whether Iceland should resume accession negotiations with the EU. A no vote would effectively close the issue for at least a generation, while a yes vote would allow accession talks with the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, across 35 areas, including the economy and human rights. For Iceland, fishing will be among the most sensitive issues in those talks, given its importance to both the economy and national identity.
Trump has indicated that he does not intend to use force to take Greenland, but his interest in the territory does not appear to have cooled. According to Associated Press, his statements earlier this year changed the political mood in Iceland and prompted concerns over whether the country could face similar pressure in the future.
For some Icelanders, the question is no longer only how EU membership could affect fishing rights or national sovereignty. It is also whether closer ties with the EU could offer greater protection if the US were to turn its attention towards Iceland.
“We can’t really trust the U.S. anymore,” said Hildur Knútsdóttir, a horror fiction writer who plans to vote in favour of EU membership.
Iceland’s left-leaning coalition government, elected in 2024, brought the referendum forward from next year, largely because of Trump’s threats over Greenland. Its support for reopening the EU question comes as concerns over security in the North Atlantic have become part of the debate.
Fishing remains the main point of contention
Iceland’s EU debate has a long history. The country previously pursued membership but formally ended that effort in 2015, largely because of concerns about what joining the bloc would mean for its rich fishing resources.
The hefty cod and haddock catches from the chilled Arctic waters around Iceland are central to the economy and closely linked to national identity. The descendants of Vikings who settled Iceland have lived off the sea for centuries, and the country’s lucrative fishing industry continues to shape the political debate over EU membership.
Joining the 27-member EU would require Iceland to enter the bloc’s common fisheries policy. That could allow fishing fleets from countries including Spain and the Netherlands to operate in Icelandic waters. The government has said it would seek a special arrangement, potentially including a full opt-out from the policy.
According to Associated Press, fishing rights have remained a central issue in the final days of campaigning, reflecting concerns over how EU membership could affect Iceland’s control of its waters.
Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir has also sought to stress that Saturday’s referendum would not decide whether Iceland joins the EU. A yes vote would only reopen negotiations, with another referendum to be held if an accession agreement is eventually reached.
“This is not an election about membership and not about adaptation, as there will be another referendum on an accession agreement if the result is yes,” Frostadóttir told a rally.
Sovereignty weighs on voters
The debate over fishing is also tied to Iceland’s broader sense of independence. Iceland, which gained independence from Denmark in 1944, has a proud history of independence and of resisting pressure from larger European countries.
That includes the Cod Wars with Britain in the 1970s, which Iceland fought and won over its fishing grounds.
Supporters of EU membership argue that closer integration with Europe would help Iceland deal with problems that cross national borders, including climate change. Iceland is already part of the EU’s single market and the Schengen free-travel area despite remaining outside the bloc.
Opponents argue that the current arrangement gives Iceland the benefits of close European integration without the loss of sovereignty they associate with full EU membership.
“I think Iceland is better off outside of the EU, within the close collaboration with the EU,” former prime minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir told The Associated Press.
The referendum will determine whether Iceland reopens a membership process it formally ended in 2015, with fishing rights, national sovereignty and security in the North Atlantic all featuring in the debate.
