Editing Iceland (section)

===Foreign relations===
{{main|Foreign relations of Iceland}}
{{See also|Accession of Iceland to the European Union}}
[[File:Barack Obama and the Nordic leaders at White House 01.jpg|thumb|right|Nordic prime ministers and the president of Finland visiting the White House in 2016, with Iceland's [[Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson|Sigurður]] second from the left]]

Iceland, which is a member of the [[UN]], [[NATO]], [[European Free Trade Association|EFTA]], [[Council of Europe]], and [[OECD]], maintains diplomatic and commercial relations with practically all nations, but its ties with the Nordic countries, Germany, the United States, Canada, and the other NATO nations are particularly close. Historically, due to cultural, economic, and linguistic similarities, Iceland is a [[Nordic country]], and it participates in intergovernmental cooperation through the [[Nordic Council]].

Iceland is a member of the [[European Economic Area]] (EEA), which allows the country access to the single market of the European Union (EU). It was not a member of the EU, but in July 2009, the Icelandic parliament, the Althing, voted in favour of the application for EU membership<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press in Reykjavík |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jul/16/iceland-parliament-votes-eu-membership |title=Icelandic parliament votes for EU membership |work=The Guardian |date=16 July 2009 |access-date=10 February 2010 |location=London |archive-date=14 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314105234/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/16/iceland-parliament-votes-eu-membership |url-status=live }}</ref> and officially applied on 17 July 2009.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/07/17/iceland.eu.application/index.html |work=CNN |title=Iceland applies to join European Union |date=17 July 2009 |access-date=22 January 2011 |archive-date=28 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100228035611/http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/07/17/iceland.eu.application/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> However, in 2013, opinion polls showed that many Icelanders were now against joining the EU; following the [[2013 Icelandic parliamentary election]] the two parties that formed the island's new government—the centrist Progressive Party and the right-wing Independence Party—announced they would hold a referendum on EU membership.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22624110 |title=Icelanders to get a referendum on joining the EU |work=BBC News |date=22 May 2013 |access-date=22 June 2018 |archive-date=23 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023162259/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22624110 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2015, Minister for Foreign Affairs [[Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson]] informed the EU that Iceland would no longer pursue membership, but the application was not formally withdrawn and there have been subsequent calls for a referendum on the issue.<ref>{{cite news |first=Tom |last=Batchelor |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/icleand-new-government-centre-right-coalition-conservative-prime-minister-bjarni-benediktsson-a7519691.html |title=Iceland has a new government, and it could result in the country joining the EU |date=10 January 2017 |work=The Independent |access-date=24 August 2017 |language=en-GB |archive-date=25 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825060904/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/icleand-new-government-centre-right-coalition-conservative-prime-minister-bjarni-benediktsson-a7519691.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Larissa |last=Kyzer |url=https://www.icelandreview.com/politics/parliamentary-resolution-reignites-eu-membership-debate/ |title=Parliamentary Resolution Reignites EU Membership Debate |work=Iceland Review |date=18 September 2022 |access-date=16 October 2022 |archive-date=16 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221016230628/https://www.icelandreview.com/politics/parliamentary-resolution-reignites-eu-membership-debate/ |url-status=live }}</ref>