Iceland has nothing to lose by resuming EU talks, France says

Iceland has nothing to lose by resuming negotiations to join the European Union, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated during a visit to Reykjavik. His comments come ahead of a referendum on August 29 regarding the continuation of Iceland's accession talks with the EU.

The referendum is taking place amid heightened geopolitical tensions, particularly concerning Greenland, which is a territory of Denmark. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in controlling Greenland. Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttirová noted that the EU's decisive support for Greenland during this period highlighted the significance of EU membership for Reykjavik.

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It was important for us to see how the European Union decisively intervened and stood by Denmark and Greenland.

"It was important for us to see how the European Union decisively intervened and stood by Denmark and Greenland," Gunnarsdóttirová said. She added that Iceland, as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), views potential EU membership as a means to strengthen its security, especially given threats from Russia, as the island nation does not possess its own standing army.

Barrot emphasized that the upcoming referendum's outcome is not predetermined. "Iceland has absolutely nothing to lose by negotiating with the European Union," he added. Iceland first applied for EU membership in 2009 following its financial sector collapse, with accession talks beginning in 2010 and later suspended three years later.

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Iceland has absolutely nothing to lose by negotiating with the European Union.