EU Says Iceland Remains a Close Partner After Voters Reject Resuming Membership Talks

Iceland has rejected the continuation of negotiations on European Union membership, but Brussels says the referendum will not end its close relationship with the Nordic country.

In the referendum, 52.8% of voters opposed continuing the talks, while 47.2% supported them. The European Commission said it respected the choice of Iceland’s people and that Iceland remained a “close partner” of the EU.

European Council President António Costa discussed the relationship with Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir. His spokesman said Costa fully respected the democratic decision and still viewed Iceland as one of the EU’s closest and most reliable partners.

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Iceland remains a close partner of the European Union.

Frostadóttir had previously said she would abandon the EU membership question for the rest of her term if voters rejected the proposal. Officials and diplomats in Brussels had regarded Iceland as a particularly strong candidate because of its high level of integration with the bloc.

The result comes as EU enlargement has returned to the political agenda after years of stagnation, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Montenegro is currently considered the leading candidate. It has provisionally closed 18 of 33 accession chapters and aims to become the EU’s 28th member in 2028. Brussels has avoided committing to artificial deadlines while preparing reforms that would give candidate countries access to selected EU programmes before full membership.

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The EU fully respects the democratic choice of the Icelandic people in the referendum. Iceland remains one of the EU’s closest and most reliable partners.