Iceland rejects reopening EU membership talks as voters defend national control of fisheries

Icelandic voters chose to keep the question of European Union membership at a distance, rejecting a proposal to resume accession negotiations by 52.8% to 47.2%. The result closes the divisive issue for now, more than a decade after a euroskeptic government ended talks that began after the 2008 financial crisis.

“

Things have happened in the last two years that I could not have foreseen.

The referendum unfolded amid competing concerns about security and control of the country’s valuable fisheries. Supporters argued that closer European solidarity could offer Iceland greater protection if Donald Trump’s repeated threats to control nearby Greenland ever extended to Iceland. Iceland belongs to NATO, but the campaign linked the European question to a broader sense of geopolitical uncertainty.

Iceland’s left-wing coalition government, elected in 2024, moved the referendum forward from next year after Trump mistakenly mentioned Iceland four times while discussing his plans for Greenland. More than 82% of the 270,000 eligible voters took part. Reykjavik was the only part of the country where a majority supported reopening negotiations.

“

But this government will not move forward with it. Something big would have to change in the next 24 months for this to be at the top of the agenda.

Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir rejected the idea that the vote represented a defeat for her coalition, calling it a victory for democracy. She said the government would not proceed with the issue, although she did not rule out a future attempt to reopen it. “Something big would have to change in the next 24 months for this to be at the top of the agenda,” she said.

“

The best way to heal the wounds is for the government to listen to the conclusion and leave this path aside.

Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir, leader of the opposition Independence Party, called the result a blow to the government but not to relations with Europe. She urged the coalition to accept the voters’ conclusion while maintaining close contact with the European Union and other countries. The fisheries industry led opposition to the referendum because of concerns about sharing control of Icelandic waters.

“

Because we want to remain in close contact with the European Union, Europe and as many other countries as possible, the nation is sending a clear message that we intend to steer that course ourselves.