Which countries could become the next candidates for EU membership

Recent geopolitical developments – from Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine to US President Donald Trump’s antagonism toward NATO – are fueling support for EU accession in Greenland, Iceland, and Norway.

While northern enlargement would not happen quickly, EU leaders should start laying the groundwork for it.

Read more to learn why the idea of joining the EU is becoming increasingly attractive for both the northern European countries and the Union itself in the article by Roderick Kefferpütz and Willy Søvndal: EU looks North: why Iceland and Norway are rethinking their stance on membership.

The idea of northern EU enlargement is hardly radical. Northern European countries are already deeply integrated with the EU, through the European Economic Area and Schengen.

But so far, they have eschewed membership in the Union.

But recent geopolitical developments have fundamentally changed the logic of enlargement.

With Iceland, Norway, and especially Greenland facing intensifying security concerns, Article 42.7 of the Treaty on the EU – which establishes a commitment to mutual defense that is, in legal terms, stronger than NATO’s Article 5 – has gained considerable appeal. In today’s dog-eat-dog world, membership in a political union like the EU is not a shackle, but a shield.

Beyond national security, northern European countries have lately been feeling the effects of their exclusion from EU decision-making.

So, a reassessment is underway.

Iceland’s government is already planning a referendum on restarting accession talks, and debate on the topic in Norway has been reinvigorated. 

In both countries, public support for EU membership has reached record highs.

From the EU’s perspective, northern enlargement would be a strategic boon.

Their accession would thus reinforce the EU’s global clout, institutional credibility, and economic and energy resilience.

It helps that all three are democracies that share the EU’s rules, values, and strategic interests.

The Danish presidency is an ideal opportunity to initiate this process.

Denmark argues in its program for the presidency that enlargement is a "geopolitical necessity." Moreover, Denmark is uniquely positioned to support and facilitate dialogue with the North. 

This article originally appeared on Project Syndicate and is republished with permission from the copyright holder.