Iceland holds referendum on resuming European Union membership negotiations

Voters in Iceland went to the polls on 29 August 2026 to decide whether their country should restart talks on joining the European Union. Iceland applied to join the EU in 2009 but stopped negotiations in 2013 under a government that opposed membership. The new coalition government, formed after the 2024 election, agreed to hold the vote. A "yes" result would open years of talks with Brussels, followed by a second referendum on full membership. A "no" result would put the question aside for now. Polls suggested the result was very difficult to predict. Iceland already has access to the EU single market through the European Economic Area, but it is not a full member and does not use the euro.