Key facts
- Icelandic Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated Iceland has 'nothing to lose' by negotiating EU membership.
- A referendum on restarting EU membership talks is scheduled for August 29.
- Iceland initially applied for EU membership in 2009 and suspended talks in 2015.
- Iceland views EU membership as a means to enhance its security, particularly against potential Russian threats.
- The Icelandic Foreign Minister highlighted the EU's support for Greenland as a factor in Iceland's consideration of membership.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated on Monday that Iceland has "nothing to lose" by negotiating with the European Union over membership, as the country prepares for a referendum on restarting talks to join the bloc.
Icelanders will vote on August 29, more than a decade after negotiations were suspended. Iceland first applied to join the European Union in 2009, in the wake of the collapse of its financial sector, but suspended accession talks in 2015.
Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir said the EU's support for Greenland during US President Donald Trump's push to take control of the territory had shown Iceland the value of joining the bloc. "For us it was important to see how steadfast the European Union stepped in and used its power, standing with Denmark and Greenland in that issue," she told reporters.
Gunnarsdottir also noted that NATO member Iceland, which has no standing army, sees joining the European Union as a way to strengthen its security against potential threats from Russia.