The question on the ballot
On Saturday, August 29, we answer a single question:
„Á Ísland að hefja á ný aðildarviðræður við Evrópusambandið?“ ("Should Iceland resume accession negotiations with the European Union?")
Yes or No. Nothing else is on the ballot. We are not voting on joining the EU. That decision would not arise until an agreement is on the table, and it would be put to a separate vote.
What happens if the answer is Yes?
The negotiations that began in 2010 and were put on ice in 2013 restart. Thirty-five chapters would be negotiated — fisheries, agriculture, monetary affairs, and everything in between. The goal is to secure special arrangements and transition periods where our interests call for them. The process is expected to take one and a half to two years, at a cost to the treasury of about 1.9 billion krónur.
While negotiations are under way, we transfer no powers. Neither legislative, executive nor judicial authority moves out of the country. Alþingi and the government can halt the talks at any time.
If an agreement is reached, it goes to its own referendum. Only then do we decide whether to join. Membership would also require amending the constitution, which takes approval by two successive parliaments with a general election in between.
What happens if the answer is No?
The negotiations do not restart. Our position towards Europe stays unchanged: the EEA Agreement, Schengen and other agreements remain in force as before. We keep the Icelandic króna and the price indexation of loans. Tariffs stay as they are, including on food and agricultural products. Through the EEA we remain subject to EU rules on energy (the famous "energy packages"), consumer protection, financial markets, competition, the environment and the labour market — but with no vote on those rules.
The question of what would have been on offer, however, goes unanswered. There will be no agreement to examine and no later referendum.
Why "resume"?
We have walked part of this road before. Iceland applied for membership in 2009; negotiations ran from 2010 to 2013, when they were put on ice, and there they have sat since. The question now is whether we finish the job and get the answer that never came: what kind of agreement is actually available to us.
The decision on accession talks — and possibly on membership — rests with the voters. The vote on August 29 is only about whether we want to resume negotiations and get to see the agreement.
Sources and further reading:
- thjodaratkvaedi.is — Questions and answers (the government's official information site on the referendum: ballot wording, process, cost and next steps; in Icelandic).
- Government of Iceland — EU: Referendum on resuming accession negotiations (background material from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs; in Icelandic).
- Elections Act, no. 112/2021, art. 2 (governs the conduct of referendums that Alþingi resolves to hold; in Icelandic).
- Constitution of the Republic of Iceland, no. 33/1944, art. 79 (on constitutional amendments: approval by two parliaments with an election in between; English translation).