REYKJAVÍK: Icelanders rejected restarting European Union membership talks in Saturday’s referendum, with 52.8% voting no and 47.2% supporting renewed negotiations, national broadcaster RÚV reported.
The result ends the government’s immediate plan to revive accession negotiations more than a decade after Iceland suspended its previous EU bid. Reykjavík was the only area where a majority supported restarting talks.
Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir’s government had promised to respect the referendum even though Icelandic law classifies the result as advisory rather than legally binding. The official ballot asked whether Iceland should resume accession negotiations with the European Union.
Fishing rights dominated much of the campaign. Opponents argued that full EU membership could weaken Iceland’s control over its economically important fishing grounds under the bloc’s common fisheries policy.
Supporters instead pointed to closer ties with Europe and potential economic stability. Security also entered the debate. Iceland is a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member but has no standing military.
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While US President Donald Trump’s repeated statements about acquiring nearby Greenland renewed discussion about Iceland’s strategic position.
Iceland already participates in the European Economic Area and the Schengen free-movement zone without holding EU membership.
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It first applied to join the bloc in 2009 after the financial crisis, but negotiations stalled following a change of government in 2013.
