Key facts
- Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, leader of Iceland's Centre Party, believes a 'Yes' vote in the upcoming EU referendum can be satisfied by simply asking the bloc for an offer.
- Gunnlaugsson, a former prime minister, argues this approach would fulfill the referendum's mandate without committing Iceland to full accession talks.
- A Gallup poll shows the 'Yes' camp with a slight advantage at 51.5% support ahead of the August 29 vote.
- Pro-EU campaigners cite U.S. President Donald Trump's threats toward Greenland as a reason for Iceland to strengthen ties with the EU.
- Gunnlaugsson dismissed Trump's Greenland ambitions as 'shenanigans' and not a genuine threat of invasion.
Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, the leader of Iceland's Centre Party, has stated that the upcoming referendum on reopening EU membership talks does not necessitate actual negotiations, even if voters support the 'Yes' campaign. Gunnlaugsson, who was prime minister when Iceland dropped its previous EU bid in 2015 over fishery quotas, believes the referendum's mandate could be satisfied by simply asking the European Union for an offer and then discontinuing the accession process.
A poll in mid-August indicated that 51.5 percent of Icelanders support starting new negotiations with the EU. Pro-EU campaigners, such as former Reykjavík Mayor Dagur Eggertsson, have pointed to U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to annex Greenland, Iceland's closest neighbor, as a geopolitical reason for Iceland to pursue closer ties with the bloc. However, Gunnlaugsson dismissed these threats as 'shenanigans' and not a serious possibility.
Gunnlaugsson described his party as 'small ‘c’ conservative and centrist,' though opponents sometimes label them as populist. His party recently joined the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament. Separately, the Centre Party's deputy chair, Snorri Másson, expressed concerns about immigration levels and the implications of the Schengen zone's free movement policy for Iceland's demographic destiny.