Government proposes referendum on whether to return to EU accession talks

The Government of Iceland has today decided to put to Althingi, the Icelandic parliament, a motion for resolution proposing to hold a referendum on 29 August 2026 on whether to resume accession talks with the European Union (EU).

The upcoming referendum will pose the question to the Icelandic public whether Iceland should resume accession negotiations with the EU. Iceland applied to join the EU in 2009, and accession negotiations took place during 2010–2013 before coming to a halt. If the outcome of the proposed referendum in August is to resume negotiations, and negotiations are subsequently concluded, there will then be a second referendum putting the question to the Icelandic voter whether Iceland should, in fact, join the EU. 

Further information about the proposed referendum