held. On 25 February, Ragnheiður Ríkharðsdóttir, Chairman of the parliamentary group of the Independence Party, announced her intention not to vote in favour of the proposal. In early March, the EU ambassador to Iceland said that the country could keep its application suspended rather than having to decide between resuming negotiations or formally withdrawing the application, "but of course not for an unlimited period of time". The bill was not approved before parliament's summer recess. Various polls have been taken on the public opinion of starting accession negotiations, joining the EU or adopting the euro. Comparison with EU countries If Iceland were admitted to the EU, it would be the smallest member state in terms of population. Its area (103,000 km2) is somewhat close to the average for EU countries (165,048 km2), but it would be the least densely populated country in the EU. The table below shows its population and population density in comparison to some of the other member states. Iceland's GDP per capita is among the highest in Europe as is shown in the following tables: The Icelandic language would be one of the official languages of the EU with the least speakers in terms of native speakers (together with Irish and Maltese). Comparison to the EU and impact of joining Diplomatic relations between Iceland and EU member states See also Icelandic European Union membership referendum Greenland–European Union relations Future enlargement of the European Union Norway–European Union relations Faroe Islands and the European Union United Kingdom–European Union relations Arctic policy of the European Union European Union–NATO relations Further reading Baldur Thorhallsson. 2019. "Iceland and European Integration." in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. References Notes External links Official websites Iceland's application to the EU, Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs Icelandic mission to the EU, Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs European Union – Iceland relations, European External Action Service European Union delegation to Iceland, European External Action Service European Union – Icelandic trade relations, European Commission News Portal All related news on the Icelandic negotiations for EU membership , MBL Lobbyist organisations Iceland's EU Debate Evrópusamtökin, cross-political organisation of Icelandic EU supporters Evrópusamtökin, Euroblog Heimssýn, the cross-political organisation of Icelandic eurosceptics Icelandic Pro-EU membership website Icelandic Anti-EU Membership Yes-movement of Icelandic EU supporters Iceland 2009 in Europe 2009 in the European Union 2009 in Iceland 2009 in international relations