Narrow yes lead holds as Iceland’s EU referendum enters final week

By Elías Thorsson August 25, 2026 President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and  Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir. Photo by European Space Agency. The race ahead of Saturday’s referendum on resuming EU accession talks is …

Wider Europe Briefing: What Iceland's EU Referendum Means For Europe

Welcome to Wider Europe, RFE/RL's newsletter focusing on the key issues concerning the European Union, NATO, and other institutions and their relationships with the Western Balkans and Europe's Eastern neighborhoods. I'm RFE/RL Europe …

Is Trump pushing Iceland into the EU?

As Iceland goes to the polls Aug. 29 for a referendum on whether to restart talks to join the European Union, geopolitics loom large. While the real challenges in actual accession talks are likely to revolve around fisheries and agriculture, the context of …

Iceland: The Safest Country Where Murder Is Everywhere8 min read

Real-life homicide remains exceptionally rare in Iceland. On its bookshelves, however, bodies accumulate in snowdrifts, remote fjords, abandoned buildings and apparently peaceful Reykjavík homes. The extraordinary success of Icelandic crime fiction is …

Silicon Valley: Iceland’s Ferrosilicon Gets a US Tariff Edge

Iceland’s current tariff position in the United States could give Elkem’s Grundartangi ferrosilicon plant an annual boost of ISK 300–350 million, according to the company. The advantage comes from a widening gap between Iceland and several competitors: …

As Iceland votes on the EU, which countries could be next to join?

Iceland will go to the polls on Sunday to decide whether to resume talks on EU membership. In case of a “yes” win, Iceland will become the 11th country aspiring to join the bloc. Claudia Delpero looks at the states queuing up to join the bloc. At present, …

Iceland Has Some of Europe’s Highest Hourly Labour Costs

Iceland had some of the highest hourly labour costs in Europe in 2025, according to Eurostat data highlighted by Morgunblaðið on Tuesday. The comparison is important but easy to misread: Eurostat’s measure is not simply hourly wages. It combines wages and …

Wages in Iceland among the highest in Europe

Wages in Iceland are now among the highest in Europe and, indeed, among the highest more broadly. This can be seen in figures compiled by Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office, on hourly labor costs in Europe measured in euros. Iceland ranked first, ahead …

Iceland could join EU by 2028, says enlargement chief

Iceland could be ready to join the EU in the next one to two years, Marta Kos, the EU’s enlargement commissioner, has said. The Nordic island will vote on Saturday in a knife-edge referendum on whether to restart EU membership talks. If talks resume, …

Will Iceland join the EU?