The Icelandic polling stations opened this Saturday for the referendum on reopening accession negotiations with the EU, which had been suspended since 2013. A last-minute poll published by public broadcaster RUV indicates a minimal lead for yes, with 50.4% of votes in favor of accession, against 49.6% for no. This lead has been decreasing, as just a few weeks ago the forecasts placed yes between 51% and 52%.
Iceland is currently a member of the European Economic Area and also the Schengen zone, which means it already maintains a partial relationship with the European Union. The country never completed the accession process, which was suspended in 2013, leaving the negotiations inconclusive.
There is a significant division of opinions in Icelandic society about the benefits of joining as a full member of the EU. The powerful fishing sector and rural areas express particularly high concerns, fearing a loss of sovereignty over their fishing grounds and in the agricultural sector.
These two chapters were precisely those that were not opened during the first negotiation process, which partly explains the resistance of certain sectors of the Icelandic economy to joining the European Union.
