Iceland’s E.U. Referendum, Explained

Iceland is holding a long-awaited referendum on Aug. 29 to decide whether the country should resume accession negotiations with the European Union.The country initially applied for E.U. membership in 2009, but accession negotiations were halted upon a change in government in 2013. Then, in 2015, Iceland announced it "should not be regarded as a candidate country for E.U. membership.” However, the membership application was never formally withdrawn.Iceland’s Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir said she believes now “is a great time for Iceland to join [the E.U.] because of the geopolitical situation we're in.” She praised the conduct of the E.U. in recent years and said it had made her want to expedite the referendum process.The E.U. is “looking strategically around. They're aware that the world is changing. The Arctic has increased focus now, and I think a lot of European countries, and the European bureaucracy in Brussels is aware, that they need increased flexibility for Europe to stay more modern,” she said. "This is where Iceland comes in."The E.U. in June signaled a willingness to enlarge the bloc by opening the first negotiating clusters for Ukraine and Moldova.Here’s what y...