Will the Entire Nordic Region Join the EU?

The Nordic countries have very different relationships with the EU. Denmark, Finland and Sweden are members - Denmark since 1973, Finland and Sweden since 1995. Norway and Iceland remain outside the EU but participate in the internal market through the EEA agreement. Greenland left after a referendum in 1985, and the Faroe Islands have never been members but are bound to the EU through bilateral agreements on fishing, trade and research.

Recent geopolitical tensions have reignited EU debates in non-member countries. Denmark voted to lift its defence reservation in 2022, Finland and Sweden became full NATO members, and all Nordic countries have increased defence spending. Donald Trump's repeated attempts to acquire Greenland have drawn attention to the island: the EU Commission opened its first office in Greenland in 2024, and a December 2024 poll shows 60 percent of Greenlanders would vote yes to EU membership in a new referendum. In Norway, a 2025 poll shows more Norwegians than two years ago want EU membership, and many young people are calling for a new referendum. Iceland applied for membership in 2009, suspended negotiations in 2013 and shelved them in 2015 - but on 29 August 2026, Icelanders will vote on whether the country should resume formal accession negotiations.

A lecture and debate at Hovedbiblioteket focuses on the Nordic countries' relationship with the EU. Key questions being debated include:

• Will the EU gain more Nordic members in the coming years?
• Can strengthened Nordic security cooperation contribute to security across Europe?
• What are the EU's interests in the Nordic countries - and vice versa?
• How does the EU view the tense situation in the Arctic?

The speaker is Thorsten Borring Olesen, professor at the Department of Culture and Society at Aarhus University, where he researches the EU, European integration and Nordic politics and foreign policy.