Iceland Votes on EU Membership as Britain Looks On from the Outside

Iceland's parliament has approved a referendum on European Union membership, joining a queue of ten other non-EU countries seeking to join the bloc as American unpredictability drives nations toward Brussels.

The decision marks a dramatic reversal for a country that suspended accession talks in 2015. The turnaround has been attributed directly to the Trump administration's aggressive posture toward Arctic territories.

"Trump shenanigans contributing to Iceland decision to hold a referendum on joining the European Union," noted Richard Corbett, a former Member of the European Parliament. "If this continues, Britain will be almost alone in Europe in being outside the EU: isolated, poorer and weaker."

A Shifting Landscape

The UK's post-Brexit position looks increasingly anomalous. Moldova and Ukraine have been welcomed into the EU's roaming-free zone as they prepare for membership. The Baltic states, once seen as periphery, are now central to European security planning.

"Welcome Moldova and Ukraine to the EU roaming-free area," wrote Marta Kos, the EU's Commissioner for Enlargement. "The benefits of our Union bring Europeans across the continent closer together, also ahead of EU accession."

The EU Ambassador to the UK has described 2026 as a potentially landmark year for bilateral cooperation. Diplomats speak of renewed momentum for agreements that would bring Britain closer to European regulatory frameworks without full membership.

Resistance and Response

Not everyone welcomes the EU's apparent revival. Germany's AfD party, currently leading in national polls, has called for abolishing the Union entirely. "The EU must be abolished and the EU bureaucrats kicked out," declared Alice Weidel at a recent rally.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban continues to block common EU positions, most recently preventing a joint statement on Greenland. His government argues the issue is bilateral between Denmark and the United States.

Yet Eurobarometer data shows the highest support for EU membership since 1983. The gap between populist rhetoric and public opinion is widening.

European Patriotism

Austria's president has called for "European patriotism" as a response to external pressures. The framing represents an attempt to reclaim nationalist sentiment for pro-European purposes.

The argument is simple: in a world of continental powers and great power competition, small nations thrive only through cooperation. The EU provides the scale necessary to negotiate with Washington, Beijing, or Moscow on equal terms.

Iceland's referendum will test whether this logic resonates with voters facing a concrete choice. Opinion polls suggest a close race, but momentum appears to favour joining.

For the European project, the application represents vindication. After years of crisis, Brexit, and populist challenge, the EU is once again seen as a destination rather than a problem.

The irony is not lost on observers: American pressure designed to divide the West may be pushing it closer together.