As of July 2026, Iceland has no active plans to resume European Union membership negotiations. The country applied for membership in 2009 following the financial crisis, but talks were suspended in 2013 and the application was formally withdrawn in 2015.
Public opinion in Iceland remains divided on EU membership. A 2024 poll by the Social Science Research Institute at the University of Iceland showed 38% in favor of joining the EU, 37% opposed, and 25% undecided. The main sticking points include fisheries management, agricultural subsidies, and sovereignty concerns.
Iceland is already a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) and the Schengen Area, giving it access to the EU's single market and free movement of people without full membership. The country also uses its own currency, the Icelandic krΓ³na, rather than the euro.
In recent years, no major political party has made EU membership a priority. The current government, a coalition of the Independence Party, the Progressive Party, and the Left-Green Movement, has not signaled any intention to reopen membership talks.
