Iceland to start discussions about joining the European Union

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Iceland is expected to start discussions about potentially joining the European Union, potentially as early as this summer, according to reports.

This news comes as Brussels works on a plan to maybe give Ukraine partial membership in the European Union.

Two sources familiar with the situation say Reykjavik’s coalition will have a referendum on potentially joining the EU by 2027, according to the Politico news outlet.

The parliament in Iceland will announce the date in the coming weeks, the sources say.

Multiple politicians in the EU have been making trips to Iceland and if the country votes yes, they could become part of the EU before any other country.

“The conversation on enlargement is shifting,” EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, who met with Iceland’s Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir said in a statement to Politico last month.

She said this matter concerns all Europeans.

“It is increasingly about security, about belonging and about preserving our ability to act in a world of competing spheres of influence,” her statement continued. “This concerns all Europeans.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had a meeting with Iceland’s Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir in Brussels a month ago and they stated their partnership “offers stability and predictability in a volatile world.”