Iceland will hold a referendum later this year on whether to relaunch talks with the European Union over joining the bloc.
In an announcement on Friday, Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir confirmed the vote would be held on August 29.
She said it would allow Icelanders the chance to decide their future once and for all and settle a “debate that has hung over the Icelandic nation.”
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Iceland initially applied for EU membership in 2009 amid a financial crisis in the nation. However, talks were frozen in 2013 due to disagreements over fishing policy.
Iceland formally withdrew its application in 2015.
Whilst the country is not formally a part of the EU, it is a member of the European Economic Area and part of the Schengen free travel area.
The Icelandic government had previously promised a referendum on restarting talks by 2027, but the timeline has been sped up amid Donald Trump’s tariffs and his threats towards Greenland.
Whilst a majority of Icelanders support another referendum, public opinion is more evenly split on whether Iceland should join the EU, Politico reports.
In a post on X directed to the people of Iceland, the EU’s Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said the EU “offers an anchor in a community of values, prosperity and security.”
Should Icelanders vote to reopen talks with the EU, another national vote would be required after accession negotiations to formally join the bloc.