A Member of Parliament from the Social Democratic Alliance and the chair of Iceland’s NATO Parliamentary delegation, Dagur B. Eggertsson, believes that the national referendum on EU membership negotiations should be expedited, reports Vísir. He argues that Iceland must respond to the changing global landscape and ensure national security.
During the weekend, leaders from 19 European countries met in London, agreeing to increase direct military support for Ukraine and impose further economic sanctions on Russia. The meeting was a partial response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance last Friday, which ended in tensions.
“It is clear that this situation is evolving rapidly and could have significant consequences. We need to monitor it closely, but there is a sense that we do not have a direct seat at the table,” says Dagur B. Eggertsson, MP for the Social Democratic Alliance and chair of Iceland’s NATO delegation.
Iceland’s defense agreement with the United States and its NATO membership have been the cornerstones of the country’s defense for decades, and hopefully it will remain the case in the future. However, significant uncertainty has arisen in recent weeks.
“Uncertainty about policy direction, uncertainty about risk assessments, uncertainty about respect for international institutions, and to some extent, international law and diplomatic relations. We must face the fact that we are a small nation, and it is therefore crucial for us to engage in discussions and determine where we want our alliances to lie. Who shares similar priorities with us? In my view, those are the countries of Europe — but hopefully, also the United States in the long run,” says Dagur.
One of the government’s stated objectives is to hold a national referendum on initiating EU accession talks before the end of the current parliamentary term. Dagur emphasises the need to reevaluate Iceland’s defense and security policies.
“I want to speed up both processes: the development of our defense policy and this European integration process,” he says.
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