EU membership would undermine Iceland's control over its fishing waters

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Study and practice of how sovereign states, international institutions, and non-state actors interact across borders. Encompasses diplomacy, negotiation, alliances, and conflict — the foundational domain through which global order is constructed, contested, and maintained.

Body of rules, treaties, and customary norms governing relations between sovereign states and other international actors. Provides the legal framework for diplomacy, armed conflict, trade, human rights, and the functioning of international institutions — enforced through courts, arbitration, and state compliance.

The political and economic process by which European countries pool policy-making through the European Union, including treaty reform, enlargement, the single market, common budgets and shared foreign, security and defence policy.

Iceland's advisory referendum of 29 August 2026 asked whether the country should resume negotiations to join the European Union. Voters rejected reopening the talks by 52.8% to 47.2%, amid debate over sovereignty, fishing rights, economic integration and security. The referendum did not determine EU membership, which would have required a separate vote following any completed negotiations.