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Iceland voted ‘No’ to resuming membership negotiations with the European Union,  referendum results showed Sunday, dealing a blow to Brussels which had been keen to welcome a new wealthy member. Almost 53 percent of Icelanders rejected the resumption of EU entry talks suspended 13 years ago, while some 47 percent voted in favour in Saturday’s referendum. Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir, who favoured a ‘Yes,’ stressed she didn’t “see this as a setback”.”I see this as a victory for democracy,” she told reporters, pointing to voter turnout of over 80 percent.”I want to make it absolutely clear, this government is not going forward with the accession talks this term.”This means any discussions of Icelandic accession are frozen at least until 2028 — an apparent disappointment to Brussels, which had appeared willing to compromise on thorny issues to facilitate Iceland’s accession.

EU chief Antonio Costa nonetheless told Frostadottir the bloc “fully respects the democratic choice” made by voters, a spokesperson said.”Iceland remains one of the EU’s closest and most trusted partners,” said the spokesperson. Far-right, eurosceptic leaders in Britain and France hailed the result.”At a time when some are pushing for greater federalism and the transfer of sovereignty to the European Commission, this vote reminds us that another Europe is possible, a Europe of free, sovereign nations cooperating voluntarily on matters of common interest,” France’s Marine Le Pen wrote on X.”Congratulations to Iceland on voting to keep their independence,” Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who was one of the faces of Britain’s Brexit, wrote on the same platform.

Iceland, a country of just under 400,000 people applied to join the EU in the wake of the 2009 financial crisis that devastated its economy. Membership talks were then suspended in 2013 when a eurosceptic government came to power. The island is, however, already closely linked to the EU as a member of the European Economic Area and the free-movement Schengen zone, ties which will remain unchanged.

The referendum result was non-binding but the government had vowed to respect it.- High turnout -Debates ahead of the vote had mainly revolved around domestic and economic issues, though the war in Ukraine and US President Donald Trump’s ambitions for neighbouring Greenland — which he has mixed up with Iceland on several occasions — also featured. The campaign had “lifted discussions about the EU, about Iceland’s place in the world, about our general geopolitical situation and status, to a higher level”, Frostadottir said after casting her ballot Saturday.

Political analysts had said it was unlikely the government would resign in the event of a ‘No’ victory, though it could emerge weakened by the rejection. According to RUV, voter turnout was 82.5 percent, the highest participation in any Icelandic vote since April 2009 parliamentary elections during its crippling financial crisis. The campaign divided Icelanders.”It’s hard to grasp that it’s a ‘No’,” 37-year-old artist Elisabet Anna Kristjansdottir told AFP.”It’s quite sad that the Icelandic people don’t even want to see the possibilities of joining the EU.”Anna Maria Bogadottir said meanwhile she was “really happy”, but acknowledged it would now “be a challenge to unite 50 percent on each side.”- Wooing from Brussels -A ‘Yes’ vote would have given the government a mandate to resume negotiations with Brussels, including on the hotly contested issue of fishing — a pillar of Iceland’s economy and part of its national identity, and over which Reykjavik wants to retain exclusive control.

Any accession agreement would then have then been put to another referendum in Iceland. The fisheries sector has been fiercely opposed to joining the bloc — 90 percent of companies in the industry are against the idea — and the EU had tried to woo it with a conciliatory approach ahead of the vote. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos had said Brussels and EU member states would be willing to “find creative solutions” to Iceland’s “unique specificities on fisheries and agriculture”.

An EU source in Brussels told AFP: “I don’t think anyone (in the EU) wants to block an accession over a question of fish.”Brussels had hoped to be able to present wealthy Iceland as an example of positive enlargement that could also make it more palatable for member states to agree to take in poorer countries like Montenegro. It would also have enabled it to enlarge its presence in the strategic Arctic region, and perhaps helped change some minds in ultra-wealthy non-EU member Norway.

Sun, 30 Aug 2026 16:31:39 GMT