iceland

Icelandic voters narrowly rejected reopening EU membership talks, but senior Brussels officials downplayed the setback and affirmed plans to expand the bloc.

A narrow majority on Aug. 29 blocks accession negotiations, with fishing quotas and rural opposition outweighing security arguments for closer European ties

Voters rejected accession negotiations with a 52.8 percent majority, shelving the debate for at least two years despite strong turnout of 82.5 percent

Icelanders voted 52.5 percent against opening accession negotiations with the European Union, dealing a setback to Brussels and the Reykjavik government's membership push