Iceland Minister Warns 29 August EU Vote Risks Brexit-Style Misinformation

1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 27

Just over 3 months before Iceland’s 29 August referendum, Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir said the vote could become a “Brexit moment” shaped by lies, fearmongering and foreign interference.
42% of Icelanders back reopening EU accession talks and 39% oppose it, leaving a tight race that she said could be swayed by rhetoric copied from Nigel Farage’s Brexit playbook and by hostile actors including Russia.
AI has become a central concern: President Halla Tómasdóttir warned it can generate credible-looking falsehoods at speed, while a University of Iceland researcher said chatbots already answer referendum questions with unreliable sources.
The referendum asks only whether to resume accession talks, not whether to join the EU; if voters approve and a deal is reached, Iceland would hold a second vote on membership.
The coalition brought the ballot forward from no later than 2027 after security concerns sharpened, with Gunnarsdóttir citing pressure on the international order and US threats to acquire Greenland as part of the backdrop.