Iceland EU membership returned to the ballot Saturday as voters weighed whether to restart negotiations to join the European Union, a decision shaped in part by renewed security questions arising from former President Donald Trump’s push for U.S. control of nearby Greenland.
Iceland sits in the North Atlantic about 180 miles from Greenland. The country has no standing military and depends on NATO and a longstanding defense pact with the United States for its security, according to international agencies and officials.
Trump’s repeated expressions of interest in acquiring Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, have unsettled some in Iceland and injected a fresh strategic layer into a debate that has divided the NATO ally for years, according to public statements and reporting by global news services.
Iceland EU membership referendum details
Roughly 275,000 eligible voters were asked whether Iceland should resume accession talks with the EU. By Saturday evening, an official result had not been declared.
If approved, the government would move to reopen negotiations with Brussels, followed by a second referendum on whether to accept membership terms, according to officials.
Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir said the government will honor the outcome, even though the referendum is formally nonbinding. After casting her ballot, she described the race as close and said the campaign had elevated discussion about the EU, Iceland’s role in the world, and the country’s broader geopolitical position.
Security questions tied to Greenland
While economic and domestic issues dominated the campaign, the Greenland question loomed over the security debate. Trump has repeatedly voiced interest in the Arctic island, at one point saying the United States would obtain it “one way or the other,” and his administration previously examined options for acquisition, including the potential use of military force. Any action against Danish territory would present a profound test for NATO and its collective defense commitments.
Trump has also on several occasions mistakenly referenced Iceland while discussing Greenland, according to international wire reports. Earlier this year, Iceland figured in U.S. political chatter when former Rep. Billy Long, now serving as the U.S. ambassador to Iceland, apologized after privately joking to lawmakers that Iceland could become the “52nd state” with him as governor.
As vote counting proceeded, supporters and opponents of resuming EU negotiations awaited an official tally that could set the stage for renewed talks with Brussels and a subsequent binding referendum on full membership.