REYKJAVIK — Icelanders voted against opening accession negotiations with the European Union on Sunday, with 52.5 percent of ballots rejecting the government's proposal, according to public broadcaster RUV. The result ends a years-long push by Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir to advance membership talks.
Frostadóttir had campaigned nationwide for the "yes" vote, framing membership as a "now or never" opportunity. She told RUV after the vote that she hoped the result would not divide the nation and that she had spoken with many Icelanders "completely open to different outcomes." She acknowledged concerns over how EU membership could affect agriculture, fisheries and natural resources, particularly in rural areas, and said the government would "handle these issues well."
The "yes" camp garnered 47.5 percent.
Proponents of membership argued it could lower Iceland's high interest rates and provide security during the war in Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump's rhetoric toward Greenland, an Arctic island. Opponents contended that EU membership would threaten Iceland's sovereignty, particularly over its fishing waters.
Iceland first applied for EU membership in 2009 after a financial crisis devastated its economy. A Eurosceptic government halted negotiations in 2013. The renewed push for membership came as geopolitical tensions and U.S. trade policies intensified debate over Iceland's international alignment.
