The referendum is scheduled for August 29 and will ask the question: “Should Iceland resume negotiations to join the European Union?”
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In Iceland, which has a population of about 400,000 people, opinions on this issue seem to be divided.
A Gallup poll released on June 29 showed that 52% of the 1,993 respondents supported resuming negotiations, while 48% opposed it.
Iceland submitted its application for EU membership in 2009 after the financial crisis severely damaged the country’s economy. However, negotiations were officially suspended in 2015.
If negotiations are resumed, the main contentious issues will be fisheries and agriculture, which are essential to Iceland’s economy.
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Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir told French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who visited the country last week, that Reykjavik will seek a “favorable agreement on fisheries” and agriculture.
Iceland already has access to the European single market as a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), which means it must adopt a large part of EU legislation.
It is also a member of the Schengen free movement area but is not part of the European Union customs union.
If the referendum approves the resumption of negotiations, a second vote on the membership itself will be required.
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