Iceland's foreign minister has accused her political rivals of employing tactics "straight from Farage's playbook" by spreading misinformation in their campaign to reject future European Union membership. The nation will head to the polls in three months to decide whether to continue accession talks with the economic bloc, a development closely watched from Washington to Brussels.
Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir warned of a real risk of Russian interference and influence from other actors "who seek to influence our public debate in a negative way," cautioning that such interference could sway the outcome. "I am fearing that we will face a Brexit moment," she told The Guardian. "That would be, from my point of view, a rather dangerous path because… there were all kinds of lies put forward by the Brexiteers."
She accused individuals both inside and outside Iceland of "fearmongering" similar to the leave campaign in the UK, citing disputed figures regarding funds sent from London to Brussels. Iceland's coalition government, comprising the Social Democratic Alliance, the People's party, and Þorgerður's centre-right Liberal Reform party, announced in March that the EU referendum would be held on 29 August, surprising many after previously stating it would not occur before 2027.
Þorgerður described Brexit as an "example of how not to run a campaign," noting that "nothing of what they promised has actually been activated and realised." The decision to fast-track the referendum was partly influenced by recent US threats to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, which Europe has firmly rejected. President Trump repeatedly referred to Greenland as Iceland during a heated international dispute over his aim to acquire the vast Arctic territory.
"The international order that underpinned our security and prosperity for decades is under serious pressure. The world has changed so decisively, I would say, so Greenland has of course affected, or had influence on, our decision," Þorgerður said. Residents will not be asked whether they want to join the EU, but whether the government should resume accession talks with Brussels.
Rising living costs, Russia's war in Ukraine, and trans-Atlantic tensions have heightened concerns about Iceland's security. The volcanic island nation, which has no army, relies on NATO and a bilateral defence agreement with the United States. For decades, Iceland avoided seeking EU membership due to fears of sharing its rich North Atlantic fishing grounds. It applied to join the bloc in 2009 after its banking sector collapsed during the global financial crisis, but talks were suspended in 2013 and formally ended in 2015. Iceland participates in the EU's single market through the European Economic Area and is part of the Schengen free-travel zone. The vote is set for 29 August.
