DUBLIN — Icelandic voters rejected reopening accession talks with the European Union by a narrow margin of 52.8 percent to 47.2 percent on Saturday, freezing a membership bid that had been dormant since 2013.
Senior EU officials sought to contain the political fallout during an informal meeting of European affairs ministers from EU member states and candidate countries in Dublin on Friday. Ireland's EU Council presidency hosted the gathering to discuss enlargement strategy following the Icelandic vote.
Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said the result did not indicate the EU had become less attractive. She noted that more progress had been made toward incorporating new members over the past eight months than in any single year during the previous 25 years.
"This dynamic will continue into the autumn," Kos said. She expressed regret over Iceland's decision, noting the country is already part of the common market and Schengen area. "The European Union is much more than just those two things," she said.
Kos pointed out that support for EU membership in Iceland had risen from 19 percent during 2010 negotiations to 47 percent in this referendum. She added that it remains up to Icelanders to decide whether to pursue membership later.
Thomas Byrne, Ireland's Minister of State for European Affairs and Defense, also minimized the vote's impact. Iceland's decision will not affect the accession work of other candidate countries, he said, citing progress by Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine.
Byrne explained that Iceland's case was driven by its maritime fishing industry and its distinct economic interests. Iceland will remain part of the European Economic Area regardless of the referendum outcome.
Montenegro is on track to become the bloc's 28th member by 2028, with Albania closely following. Ukraine and Moldova have each opened two accession clusters this year.
Byrne dismissed concerns that 2027 elections in France, Italy, Spain and Poland could derail enlargement. French opinion polls project Marine Le Pen, the far-right National Rally candidate known for Eurosceptic positions, to win in all second-round scenarios.
