- 1 week ago
Volcanic land with cold doubts: Iceland decides on EU negotiations amidst hopes and fears
On August 29 Iceland is voting by referendum whether or not to resume EU membership negotiations, suspended since 2013. We travelled to the volcanic island to investigate the pros and cons, fears, hopes, expectations and doubts - and discovered a hotly polarised society.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/07/31/volcanic-land-with-cold-doubts-iceland-decides-on-eu-negotiations-amidst-hopes-and-fears
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
On August 29 Iceland is voting by referendum whether or not to resume EU membership negotiations, suspended since 2013. We travelled to the volcanic island to investigate the pros and cons, fears, hopes, expectations and doubts - and discovered a hotly polarised society.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/07/31/volcanic-land-with-cold-doubts-iceland-decides-on-eu-negotiations-amidst-hopes-and-fears
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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00:00How big are we in the European Union? Who will listen to us? We will lose identity.
00:06I think membership of the EU would be very beneficial for us.
00:09I would say the game for Iceland.
00:13I think Iceland is part of Europe.
00:14Joining the EU would be bad for us.
00:18We are a member of the European family.
00:22As far away from Europe, fears, doubts and a new and incierta geopolítica international situation,
00:32Iceland decides what relationship to have with the European Union.
00:36Within or out, we are looking at pros and contras in Euronews Investigates.
01:05For the first time, our exploration comes into the tormented geological of the island.
01:12In just a year, this immersive exhibition has attracted 150.000 visitors.
01:23Christian is his general director.
01:26When you live on a volcano in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean,
01:29our ancestors, yeah, I would say they were probably totally mental.
01:34I mean, they lived here knowing all this, knowing that it was easier somewhere else.
01:38You get used to the weather, you get used to the earthquakes,
01:41to the volcanoes happening every five years, on average.
01:45That was brought up that you should just, like, a little bit survive on your own.
01:50In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean,
01:58we have to go to the Atlantic Ocean.
02:12We are European.
02:16That's what we are.
02:18Even if the majority of our island,
02:20our export is in US dollars.
02:25So...
02:26I don't want the Euro.
02:51First of all.
02:52And...
02:53I think we get less say in our country.
02:56If we are under our own country, if we are under another country.
02:59So...
02:59Yeah.
03:00I don't want that.
03:01Also, we are getting kind of pressured to join.
03:05But there is no reason.
03:06They say they are going to help us, but they never help us.
03:09The best way to be, we close the borders.
03:12We stop with the European Union.
03:15We just get Iceland again.
03:17And...
03:17I think it's give and take.
03:19It's like...
03:19We have more to lose, but we have...
03:22Where is the gift?
03:23What do we gain?
03:25There's a lot of things...
03:25We lose our rights.
03:27We lose our language.
03:29We lose our coins.
03:31What do we gain?
03:33We have such a little market.
03:37So...
03:37For us, the opportunity to gain closer connection to Europe, I think it's a benefit for us.
03:44So, yeah.
03:45I'm for the European Union.
03:49It's obvious for me to...
03:51If you want to be a part of Europe, you have to be a part of the whole.
03:55You cannot just cherry pick the stuff you want.
03:58And ask for help when you want.
03:59I think the options are way better than the, like, downsides of joining the European Union.
04:05And, for example, like when you think about other countries in the European Union, you would never think that they
04:12would, like, at any point lose their sovereignty.
04:18Los sectores pesquero y agrícola concentran las preocupaciones eurosépticas.
04:25El rechazo a la UE en las zonas rurales alcanza el 80%, según algunos sondeos.
04:40Viajamos al corazón agrícola del país, hasta esta explotación familiar establecida hace 50 años.
04:46Stefan cría unas 270 cabezas de ganado, incluidas 70 vacas lecheras.
04:53Explica que, actualmente, diversos aranceles específicos protegen a muchos productos agrícolas islandeses frente al mercado único.
05:01Teme que una adhesión plena a la UE suponga una avalancha de importaciones agroalimentarias más baratas,
05:07frente a las que los agricultores locales simplemente no podrán competir.
05:11We are placed in the island close to the Arctic Circle. We have short growing season. We are not able
05:20to produce food at as low cost as in Europe.
05:26We need a lot of things imported for our business and they are more expensive than in continental Europe.
05:34For example, fertilizer, fuel, service parts, etc.
05:41We have examples from Finland where the farmers price of their products dropped 40% when they joined the EU
05:50and many farmers went out of business.
05:54If we lose the market, I think no subsidies can make up for that.
06:09For the last 30 years here in Iceland at least, I feel like we are in a good shape now.
06:14Any uncertainty with joining the EU and the common market would be bad for us.
06:22The farmers are kind of the backbone of the rural societies, the communities.
06:28And if we lose our conventional way of farming, I'm afraid that the many rural communities would be affected by
06:41this.
06:46The farmers in the rural areas are extended to the control of animal diseases.
06:51Only a number of the more than 200 diseases of animal diseases cataloged by the World Health Organization are here
06:59endemic.
07:00The opening of the border of the unique market for living animals would put in danger
07:05all the sector, says this ancient farmer and agricultural inspector, active militant against
07:11the full adhesion of the EU.
07:33We can export them to parts of the world, but if we do export them, even if it's just
07:46for competition, then we are not allowed to bring them back.
07:51This is how strict our regulations are.
07:56The fishing is another great economic sector abiertamente euroesceptic.
08:00The fishing activities represent around 8% of the PIB of the country and employing the
08:064% of its labor force.
08:09Agus works in a raster that captures Bacalao and Abadejo.
08:14The following interview had planned to begin a fishing campaign of three weeks.
08:21It's not the only risk, explains it.
08:28The majority of the companies who are in fish industry are family companies.
08:33Often the captain is the owner.
08:37So when he gets to a certain age, he needs to sell.
08:41There is an open market through Europe.
08:44It's really easy for European companies who are willing to buy themselves in Icelandic
08:49fish industry.
08:50We don't know what would happen when that happens.
08:53Fish industry is in the blood of Icelanders.
08:57It will never end.
08:59But it's got a change.
09:02Concluimos la entrevista y un restaurador de barcos se une a la conversación.
09:07How big are we in the European Union?
09:10Who will listen to us?
09:12We will lose identity because their rules will apply to Iceland more and more.
09:17And we cannot take that.
09:19We have independence in our blood.
09:25Now, carpintero, antes era pescador, vivió más de una década en Dinamarca.
09:32The argument here is that we will have a more stable society, a stable economy.
09:39Okay?
09:40We have, through all the ages, our economy has gone up and down and up and down and up
09:44and down.
09:45And we have just had to live with that.
09:47I cannot believe that we will be feeling good in under or in that complex party that
09:59is the European Union.
10:01We will feel suffocation, I guess.
10:07Alrededor del 75% de la legislación islandesa ya se ajusta a las normativas europeas en los
10:13ámbitos social, medioambiental o económico, por ejemplo.
10:16Es más que suficiente, afirma el fundador del principal grupo euroséptico del país,
10:21profesor de física atmosférica en la Universidad de Islandia.
10:26Many laws that have created in the European Union, they may be quite good for Iceland, but
10:34all the laws are based on the interests and the needs of the big countries in continental
10:41Europe and not the needs of Iceland.
10:45The economy of Iceland is based on natural resources, it's not highly industrialized in
10:51the same manner as in Central Europe.
10:54And to some extent the culture is also different.
10:58There is, for instance, no military tradition in Iceland whatsoever.
11:03Apart from this, of course, it's going to be very, very costly to be a member of the European
11:10Union for Iceland.
11:11There will be a constant flow of money from Iceland to Europe.
11:16The movement euroséptico florece, además, in torno al temor de que una adhesión plena hará
11:23perder aún más control en fronteras y políticas de inmigración y socavará soberanía.
11:29Escuchemos, por ejemplo, a este taxista.
11:40But when you go into like a bureaucratic like Brussels seems to be showing us, that will
11:47probably not be allowed, you know, because it's not in the rule book.
11:52Sin embargo, incluso él reconoce que el país se enfrenta a desafíos económicos de su propia
11:57creación sin soluciones claras a la vista.
12:01We need a, so to say, a bigger currency.
12:04Our currency is basically, you know, not bigger than a Disney money, basically.
12:09So, the downside, obviously, is that the markets are expensive, loans are expensive, there
12:17is always going to be an inflation.
12:19La estabilidad económica es, de hecho, uno de los pilares fundamentales para los defensores
12:24de la causa europeísta.
12:25La moneda nacional, la corona, ha sido históricamente propensa a sufrir devaluaciones repentinas con
12:32un enorme impacto económico, incluida una elevada inflación.
12:36Aquí, los tipos de interés son aproximadamente tres veces más altos que los fijados por el
12:41Banco Central Europeo.
12:42Una plena adhesión a la UE y la adopción del euro garantizarían estabilidad económica
12:48para generaciones venideras, afirma este diputado de origen polaco al frente de la Comisión
12:53de Asuntos Exteriores del Parlamento.
12:58¿Qué tal como es racializar la referencia a la UE?
13:00Dopo su nivel de interés.
13:00Está bien tomando que ESA sería una parada divina al respecto de la Unión Europea.
13:05Es lógico que a considerar que ESA sería un parada parada al respecto de la UE.
13:05Pero, en detectando a esos números, creo que es de эти números que, en el
13:09estlánico, eso significa que a un 60 millones de pesos valianos valianos valianos valianos valianos valiosos,
13:15the salción de los hogares donde se trata a las renda con los intereses reductores,
13:19la salud valianos valianos valianos valianos valianos valianos valianos valianos valianos valianos valianos valianos valianos valianos valianos valianos valianos valianos
13:25valianos.
13:25The benefits for the homes and the consumers are of such magnitude that it's very easy to justify this cost.
13:32But even at this point, the experts seem to discreate.
13:36Erna is economist and works as an independent assistant.
13:40The economy of Iceland is so particular that to explore what is better or worse is a very difficult task,
13:47afirma.
13:48We are subject to all sorts of different shocks for the economy than the countries in the Eurozone or the
13:55EU,
13:55like fishing stocks, sometimes you have low cats in certain species that are economically important.
14:04And also we have these shocks from natural disasters like earthquakes and volcanoes.
14:10If you are stuck with a currency that doesn't adjust to your fluctuations in the economy,
14:16you end up with either having to borrow more money for the state or cut down expenditure on other issues.
14:24Más allá de la economía, las nuevas realidades geopolíticas internacionales están influyendo considerablemente en el debate.
14:31Los conflictos en Ucrania y Oriente Medio, junto con mensajes contradictorios de la administración estadounidense,
14:38han generado una creciente sensación de excesivo aislamiento.
14:42Este profesor universitario de ciencias políticas preside una plataforma que aboga por estrechar vínculos con la Unión Europea.
14:51Sostiene que, desde un punto de vista estratégico,
14:54Islandia no puede permitirse permanecer tan aislada en un escenario mundial cada vez más inestable.
15:01We see the United States, our main ally, making threats against our sovereign neighbor, Greenland,
15:09against Denmark, which is a solid NATO ally, against Canada.
15:15Can we still rely on the United States?
15:17So this variable has come in to join the European Union for security reasons.
15:24National security means a lot of other things than just, like, defending against a full-scale invasion.
15:29Today we see that security threats are much more subtle.
15:34We are under constant attack by Russian bots and Russian misinformation
15:40and all sorts of actors that are trying to influence our infrastructure,
15:47attacking our websites, attacking our energy infrastructure.
15:52And they need to be secured.
15:58So there's a lot of things that the European Union can help with in that respect.
16:06La Unión Europea, de hecho, considera a Islandia como un activo estratégico y democrático.
16:12Pero lo cierto es que, aunque sujeto a y alineado con numerosas políticas de la UE,
16:18el país permanece fuera de las instituciones comunitarias,
16:22perdiendo así influencia en la toma de decisiones.
16:25Esta diputada pertenece a la Alianza Socialdemócrata,
16:28cuya lideresa es la actual primera ministra.
16:32La postura inequívocamente europeísta del actual gobierno
16:35es la mejor forma de defender los intereses del país, afirma.
17:22Más allá de las instituciones políticas, el debate ha calado en el tejido socioeconómico islandés,
17:28con conclusiones abiertamente antagónicas.
17:31Fundada en 1994 y con 62 empleados,
17:35esta empresa facturó el año pasado casi 25 millones de euros
17:39comercializando productos químicos de lubricación y recambios para automóviles.
17:44La mayor parte de sus importaciones procede de Europa.
17:48El negocio marcha bien tal y como está
17:50y no es necesaria una mayor integración en la UE, afirma su director ejecutivo.
18:03El negocio marcha bien tal y como está
18:21en la UE es bastante fácil y bastante transparente.
18:31En el otro extremo del espectro nos reunimos con una empresaria fervientemente pro-europea.
18:38Elga ha vivido en los Países Bajos y en Brasil.
18:42Es fundadora y directora de una agencia de viajes que atrae turistas a Islandia.
18:47El país, afirma, necesita abrirse más para poder prosperar.
18:52Nosotros somos una nueva democracia.
18:54Nosotros hemos estado aquí desde 1944 como completamente independientes.
18:58Y yo entiendo que las personas son scepticos,
19:00pero estamos ya tanto en la UE con la EEA.
19:03Entonces, ¿por qué no mirar cómo beneficiarse es para nosotros
19:07para estar completamente dentro?
19:09Con todos los beneficios y también que la UE no es perfecta.
19:12Pero Aislanda no es perfecta tampoco, como es ahora.
19:15Yo creo que principalmente en el hogar, el dinero, el krona, los precios de interés,
19:19todas estas cosas.
19:20Es realmente raro cómo tenemos aquí.
19:22Yo creo que no es muy bueno para los jóvenes de este país.
19:26Si vamos a continuar este camino,
19:28yo creo que tenemos que mirar otras opciones,
19:30cómo podemos hacer sus vidas mejor.
19:33No podemos isolarnos de nosotros.
19:35De nuevo, no creo que eso será posible en el futuro.
19:37Una integración completa en la UE o statu quo.
19:43La isla volcánica se asienta sobre fuerzas sociopolíticas,
19:46además de tecnónicas muy activas,
19:49que moldean incansablemente su futuro.
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