Residents of Iceland will vote on August 29 on whether to renew membership negotiations, which began in 2010 but were suspended after three years.
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The vote is taking place as neighboring Greenland is concerned about US President Donald Trump’s demand to take control of this vast Arctic territory from Denmark.
“The August 29 vote does not decide anything. Iceland certainly does not lose anything by negotiating with the European Union,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot during a visit to Reykjavik.
Iceland first applied for EU membership in 2009, following the sudden and dramatic collapse of the country’s financial sector.
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Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir said that the EU’s support for Greenland during Trump’s attempts to take it over showed Iceland the value of membership.
“It was important for us to see how firmly the European Union intervened and used its power to support Denmark and Greenland on this issue,” she told journalists.
T. K. Gunnarsdottir added that NATO member Iceland views EU membership as a way to strengthen its security in the face of Russian threats.
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