As the UK marks the tenth anniversary of its Brexit referendum, Iceland is approaching its own moment of truth regarding the EU. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.

On August 29, Icelanders will be asked whether to return to the negotiating table with Brussels for EU membership talks. Iceland originally applied in 2009 after the financial crash but withdrew from talks in 2013, saying it could not proceed without a referendum.

Now, after more than a decade on hold, membership talks are back on the agenda. Iceland's youngest ever prime minister, Kristrún Frostadóttir, had expected a referendum in 2027. But after Donald Trump's threats against Greenland, the government decided to bring the vote forward.

While fear of invasion by a US president who appears to confuse Iceland with Greenland has convinced some Icelanders of the need to join the EU, the country is divided. Both sides cite Brexit as a cautionary tale.

For the pro-EU camp, British Leave campaign misinformation and the UK's struggles since leaving the EU are evidence for why Iceland should do the opposite. "I am fearing that we will face a Brexit moment," said Iceland's pro-European foreign minister, Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir. Brexit, she said, "should be an example of how not to run a campaign."

In the Eurosceptic camp, the UK's difficulties in leaving on its terms are presented as reasons not to join. "The EU wanted to make Britain's departure as painful as possible," said Haraldur Ólafsson from anti-EU group Heimssýn. "What is lost in one day can take many hundreds of years to get back."

Polls show the pro-EU campaign has work to do. A recent Gallup poll found 54% opposed joining the EU and 46% in favor. Another poll found 53% would vote yes to resuming talks and 47% no.

Fishing is the biggest issue, according to Freyja Steingrímsdóttir, executive director of the Association of Icelandic Journalists. The EU has hinted at an exemption for Iceland. The total value of fisheries assets for 2023 was 1,059 billion Icelandic króna (about €7.3bn).

Another key point is the euro. "Iceland has a history of high inflation and high interest rates and a very unpredictable economy. Probably more Icelanders would like to join the eurozone than actually the EU," Steingrímsdóttir said.

Hulda Þórisdóttir, a politics professor at the University of Iceland, says this referendum is far more complicated than a left vs. right divide. "The loudest voices are probably the most extreme. The vast majority of ordinary people trying to weigh the pros and cons may be feeling a little bit lacking in good information," she said.

Arguments against joining include agriculture, fears about maintaining high living standards, and relations with the US. The most emotive argument is sovereignty. Iceland only gained full independence from Denmark in 1944. "This idea of a hard fought independence is very much still alive with the Icelandic national soul," said Þórisdóttir.

Pro-EU campaigners argue that only a strong alliance with like-minded European nations can strengthen Iceland's sovereignty.