Trump's Greenland threats cast a shadow on Iceland's vote on whether to trigger EU membership talks
- Icelanders are voting on whether to resume talks about joining the European Union.
- The referendum question is whether Iceland should restart accession negotiations with the EU.
- The vote is taking place against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump's threats regarding Greenland.
- A yes vote would trigger negotiations covering various areas, including the economy and human rights.
Reykjavik, Iceland (AP) — Voters in Iceland went to the polls Saturday to decide whether the country should resume long-stalled negotiations to become a member of the European Union, in the shadow of U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to control nearby Greenland.
The yes-or-no referendum question is simple enough for the 265,000 or so eligible voters: Should Iceland resume accession negotiations with the European Union? A yes vote would trigger negotiations with the EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, covering 35 areas, from the economy to human rights.
Some supporters believe the European Union could offer protections if Trump ever made similar threats against Iceland. They also see economic stability in joining the bloc. If voters reject the proposal, that’s it, for a generation at least.
Opponents have rallied around the threat EU membership would pose to Iceland’s rich fishing stocks and the fact that Iceland already reaps benefits from being in the EU’s frictionless single market and the Schengen area.
特朗普对格林兰的威胁影响冰岛是否启动欧盟成员国谈判的投票
雷克雅未克，冰岛（美联社）——冰岛公民于周六投票决定该国是否应恢复长期停滞的加入欧盟谈判，背景是美国总统特朗普对格林兰的控制威胁。
公投问题对于大约265,000名合格选民来说非常简单：冰岛是否应重新启动与欧盟的入盟谈判？赞成票将触发与欧盟执行机构——欧盟委员会的谈判，涵盖经济到人权等35个领域。
一些支持者认为，欧盟可以在特朗普对冰岛发出类似威胁时提供保护。他们还认为，加入欧盟可以带来经济稳定。如果选民拒绝该提案，至少在一代人内将不会再有机会。
反对者则围绕欧盟成员资格对冰岛丰富渔业资源的威胁展开抗议，并指出冰岛已经从欧盟的无摩擦单一市场和申根区中获益。