Although Iceland’s government is campaigning for a Yes vote, it appears to believe the cause is best served with Brussels keeping its distance.
Both Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir and foreign minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir have said the question is for Icelanders only to decide.
“If people are looking to the EU for answers to questions, I do not think it is unreasonable for the EU to answer those questions,” Frostadóttir said in the Icelandic parliament in June.
At the same time, the prime minister has emphasised that foreign interference will not be tolerated.
That warning has been delivered to EU officials behind closed doors, Euractiv has now learned.
Nonetheless, senior EU officials are looking for ways to help the Yes side without upsetting Icelandic authorities, one EU official said.
“The Commission never intervenes in national elections or in referenda in any way,” a Commission spokesperson told Euractiv.
“The Icelandic authorities have called this referendum and it is for the Icelandic people alone to decide.”
The Icelandic foreign affairs ministry did not wish to comment on the reports.
One after another
In 2026 alone, at least seven European senior political figures have been in Iceland, with most of them openly arguing in favour of Iceland moving ahead with its EU membership.
These include representatives from Spain, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, and the leader of the liberal group in the European Parliament, Valerie Hayer.
Jean-Noël Barrot, the French foreign minister, visited Iceland in July and told local media that Iceland has “nothing to lose” from voting Yes.
Meanwhile, Costas Kadis, the fisheries European commissioner, said in connection with a visit in April that Brussels could seek to convince Icelanders with concessions on fisheries.
Polls suggest the vote could go down to the wire. A survey published last week put the Yes campaign narrowly ahead, while another released on Thursday showed the two sides level, with 8% of voters still undecided.
If Icelanders vote ‘yes’ later this month, another referendum in Iceland on accession is expected once negotiations conclude.
Read also: Iceland’s Forthcoming Referendum on EU Membership
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