00:00Iceland will hold a referendum in the coming months on whether to restart talks to join the European Union,
00:06according to Prime Minister Kriston Forstodato.
00:10Reykjavik walked away from membership negotiations in 2013 after four years of talks.
00:16But rising costs of living and Russia's war in Ukraine have revived debate about closer ties with Europe.
00:25Opinion polls in Iceland also show growing support for re-engagement with Europe.
00:30The issue has taken on added agency amid repeated comments by US President Donald Trump about annexing Greenland.
00:38Those remarks have made the question of EU membership more pressing for Iceland, a nation of almost 400,000 people.
00:45Iceland's centre-left government, which came to power after a snap election in 2024,
00:50has promised to hold a referendum no later than next year on whether to restart accession talks.
00:57Forstodato said reopening negotiations was about opening an opportunity for Iceland and deepening its integration with Europe.
01:04Iceland is already part of the EU single market through the European Free Trade Association.
01:10It also belongs to the Schengen Travel Area and is a member of NATO.
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