Montenegro and Iceland into the EU 'as a Package'? Brussels Open to the Idea
If Icelanders vote in favor of resuming negotiations in a referendum at the end of August, the two countries could join the Union simultaneously.
If Icelanders vote in favor of resuming negotiations in a referendum at the end of August, the two countries could join the Union simultaneously.
Brussels is open to the possibility of Montenegro and Iceland joining the European Union at the same time, as confirmed by European officials and diplomats to the Brussels-based portal Politico. A key prerequisite is the referendum in Iceland scheduled for August 29, 2026, in which citizens will decide on restarting membership negotiations, which have been frozen since 2013.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos told Politico that Iceland is a "special case" given that it is already a member of the European Economic Area and the Schengen Area. She estimated that negotiations could last only "one to two years" if the referendum passes positively.
A senior European Commission official, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed that Iceland could quickly catch up with Montenegro. Podgorica has so far closed more than half of the total 33 negotiating chapters and aims to become a member in 2028. Another Commission official assessed that there is a strong possibility of a package deal in which member states would ratify the accession of both countries.
Such a move would also have financial logic. Iceland is a wealthy country that would be a net contributor to the EU budget, effectively covering Montenegro's membership, which would rank among the poorest members of the bloc.
Politico recalls similar examples from the past: Spain and Portugal joined the Union in 1986, and Bulgaria and Romania in 2007, with member states ratifying a single accession treaty. Under the same model, the EU expanded to ten new countries in 2004.
Montenegro's Minister of European Affairs, Maida Gorčević, told Politico that Podgorica would gladly link its candidacy with Reykjavik. Iceland's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, assessed that joint accession is "absolutely" possible.
One diplomat described the joint accession as the "best-case scenario," while another added that bundling the candidacies could help win over France, which might get a far-right president next year, otherwise an opponent of EU enlargement. "The Montenegro-Iceland package would strengthen both candidacies," that diplomat told Politico.
Marta Kos emphasized the EU's readiness to be "creative" in bringing Iceland into the Union and avoiding another suspension of negotiations. "Some of Iceland's peculiarities, especially in fisheries and agriculture, are so unique that they must be taken into account," she said, adding that she believes the EU will find creative solutions that respect both sides.
Recent polls show that Icelanders are divided over reopening negotiations with Brussels. Reykjavik froze them in 2013, partly due to a dispute over fishing rights. If negotiations are concluded, Iceland will have to hold another referendum on membership itself.
Minister Gunnarsdóttir, who comes from a pro-European party, believes that Iceland is in a much better position today than in 2009 to negotiate an agreement that protects fisheries, agriculture, and natural resources. She dismissed criticism from those who scare citizens with membership and expressed confidence that Icelanders will not miss the opportunity presented to them.
Among the opponents of membership is former President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, who held that office for a record 20 years (1996-2016). He warned that the Icelandic government would get lost in the bureaucratic "jungle" of the Union. Iceland, with its approximately 400,000 inhabitants, would replace Malta (590,000) as the smallest EU member, and with only 600 to 700 officials in key ministries, it would be nearly impossible to ensure the country's voice is heard.
"A huge number, tens of thousands of bureaucrats in Brussels, an army of lobbyists-that would be a bureaucratic jungle," Grímsson said. The leader of the largest opposition party, Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir, agrees that new EU negotiations would "exhaust" most of Iceland's already scarce civil service.
