This is one of the most important questions in the accession debate, and it goes to the heart of democracy: how much influence do we have over the laws that govern us?
The current situation — the EEA and "fax democracy"
Through the EEA Agreement, we adopt a large share of EU legislation affecting economic life. We are kept informed at early stages, but we have no formal voting rights when it comes to the crunch. No Icelandic MEP sits in the European Parliament when the laws are debated and no Icelandic minister has a vote in the Council. In Norway this arrangement has been described as "fax democracy" (faxdemokrati) — the countries receive ready-made laws in the printer and have very little opportunity to shape the final outcome.
What would change inside the EU?
Inside the EU, the picture would formally change. Iceland would get:
- One member of the European Commission — just like France or Germany.
- Six Members of the European Parliament — the guaranteed minimum for smaller states.
- A seat and voting rights in the Council of Ministers — where most laws are decided by the ministers of the member states.
Although six MEPs out of 720 in the European Parliament is admittedly a small fraction, the EU's institutional treaties give smaller states far more weight than their population would suggest. The Parliament is based on a principle of degressive proportionality, meaning that countries like Malta (or Iceland) get far more MEPs per capita than the largest states.
In the Council of Ministers, decisions are taken either by unanimity or by qualified majority. When matters are especially sensitive — foreign policy, taxation, enlargement — unanimity is required. On those issues Iceland would have a veto and exactly the same weight as Germany or France.
For ordinary legislation, the so-called "double majority" applies. For a proposal to pass, two conditions must be met:
- A majority of states: At least 55% of member states must approve. In this part of the vote Iceland would have one vote (1 of 28) — exactly like Germany.
- A majority of the population: Those same states must together represent at least 65% of the EU's population. This is where the larger states get the benefit of size.
This system was deliberately designed to keep things in balance. The state-majority requirement prevents a handful of large, populous countries from ganging up and steamrolling the smaller ones — they always need a substantial number of small states on board. At the same time, the population rule prevents a coalition of small states from imposing laws on the bulk of Europe's citizens.
Nordic cooperation and alliances
The influence of small states in the EU rarely depends on raw vote counts alone — it depends on alliances. The Nordic and Baltic states (often called the NB8) have a strong tradition of coordinating their positions before going into meetings in Brussels. We would naturally slot into this group, adding our voice to a powerful bloc that already has significant influence on issues such as environmental policy, digital development, and free trade.
What about majority decisions?
Membership inevitably means that we could end up in the minority and would sometimes have to accept majority decisions we disagree with. But for many, this is precisely the reality we already live with under the EEA — we adopt the legislation regardless. The difference would be that inside the EU we'd at least have representatives in the room to build alliances, seek compromises, and defend our interests before the vote takes place.
Sources and further reading:
- Treaty on European Union (TEU), Art. 14 and 16 — on the composition and role of the European Parliament and the Council.
- Council of the EU: Voting system — explanation of qualified majority voting and how smaller states receive disproportionate weight.
- European Commission: Law-making process — overview of how EU legislation is proposed, debated and adopted.
- NOU 2012:2 — Outside and Inside: Norway's agreements with the EU — the landmark Norwegian government report analysing "fax democracy" and the position of EFTA states.
- Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs: EEA Working Group Report (2019) — analysis of Iceland's limited influence on EU legislation and the resulting democratic deficit.
- European Parliament: How many MEPs per country (2024–2029) — official European Parliament overview of seat allocation per member state, with the minimum-seat guarantee that protects smaller countries' representation.