Iceland votes on EU talks amid Trump threats to Greenland

Voters in Iceland are heading to the polls Saturday to decide whether the country should resume long-stalled negotiations on becoming a member of the European Union, and they are doing so in the shadow of US 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?   If voters reject the proposal, that’s it, for a generation at least.

A yes vote would trigger the start of a negotiating process with the EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, that will involve discussions on 35 areas, from the economy to human rights. Perhaps, most importantly for Iceland, its fishing stocks in the rich North Atlantic waters will be up for discussion, and not everyone is happy about that.