Iceland holds knife-edge referendum on EU - and it could be decided on fish
Iceland is preparing for a referendum on whether to resume negotiations for European Union membership. The debate is heavily influenced by concerns over the fishing industry, economic stability, and shifting geopolitical tensions.
Why it matters
The outcome could significantly alter Iceland's economic sovereignty and its strategic alignment in the North Atlantic.
Image source, AFP via Getty Images Image caption, Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir (C) supports Iceland joining the EU
Inside a waterfront factory, workers in hairnets and blue overalls are sorting freshly caught cod and haddock, and machines process the fish into fillets, mostly bound for Europe.
Visir fishing boss Pétur Pálsson, who fears joining the European Union would cost Iceland jobs and drive factories abroad, says: "If we are in the EU, they will be the ones who make the policy."
On Saturday, voters in this island nation of almost 400,000 people will decide whether their country should resume talks on joining the EU. It is a referendum that polls suggest is too close to call.
Supporters think closer European ties could help tame Iceland's volatile currency and soaring cost of living.
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