Integration without a single path
European integration involves institutions, economic cooperation and questions of democratic authority. Iceland is a valuable case for studying how participation and national autonomy are negotiated. Bergmann’s research connects European policy with national identity and the historical significance of sovereignty. The focus is on explaining political choices and arguments, not presenting EU membership or non-membership as a conclusion dictated by scholarship.
Sovereignty as a political idea
Sense of Sovereignty examines the relationship between ideas of the nation and Iceland’s European policy. Iceland: A postimperial sovereignty project develops the historical connection with the independence struggle and Iceland’s relations with Denmark and Norway. Read together, these works help explain why economic participation and political autonomy can be discussed in different registers, even when they concern the same institutions.
Crisis and comparison
The Icesave chapter examines legality, sovereignty and diplomacy during the international pressures following Iceland’s banking collapse. The 2026 EUPopLink reports add comparative material on Iceland and Denmark. The Denmark report is co-authored with Parnell Ledaga-Ngouoni and examines Euroscepticism within a member state. The Iceland report concerns a different institutional position. Comparing them requires attention to that difference, rather than treating all criticism of the EU as equivalent.
Reading policy in its own time
Publication dates matter in this field. A study of the pre-2008 debate, an analysis of the financial crisis and a 2026 country report answer different historical questions. Use the dated publications to follow the development of the research. For the relationship between democratic authority and public involvement, the participatory-democracy guide provides a complementary route through Bergmann’s work.
Original publications
- Euroscepticism in Denmark (2026) · Source
- EUPopLink Country report - Iceland (2026) · Source
- Icesave and the Financial Crisis: Legality, Sovereignty, and Diplomacy Under International Pressure in Iceland’s 2008 Collapse (2026) · Source
- Iceland: A postimperial sovereignty project (2014) · Source
- Sense of Sovereignty. How national sentiments have influenced Iceland‘s European policy (2009) · Source