A potential enlargement of the European Union to include Norway, Iceland, and Greenland is supported by a majority of Austrians. This is the result of a recent nationwide survey conducted by the Austrian Society for European Politics (ÖGfE).
According to the survey, 62 percent of respondents say they would welcome Norway becoming a member of the European Union. Nine percent would oppose it, while 24 percent say they would be “indifferent.”
In the case of Iceland, 57 percent would support the country’s EU membership, 8 percent are opposed, and 28 percent are indifferent.
As for Greenland, 49 percent of respondents would favor it becoming part of the EU. Eleven percent would not approve, while 32 percent say they do not mind.
(*The remaining percentage up to 100 percent in each case corresponds to “don’t know / no answer.”)
The overall sentiment toward a northern enlargement of the European Union is considerably more positive than for countries in the Western Balkans and (South-)Eastern Europe. According to an ÖGfE survey from March 2024, none of the potential EU candidate countries could count for a majority support of Austrians. Among them, membership for Bosnia and Herzegovina received the highest level of support (25 percent), while Turkey received the least (6 percent).
Background:
The current survey was conducted by market on March 23–24, 2026, on behalf of ÖGfE. A total of 1,000 people across Austria were surveyed online.
Sample: Austrian population aged 16 to 80, representative in terms of age, gender, region, and education. Maximum margin of error is ±3.16 percent. Totals may not add up to 100 percent due to rounding. Missing values correspond to “don’t know / no answer.”
