Iceland Votes Against Resuming EU Membership Talks

Opponents of resuming Iceland's EU membership talks appear to have won a referendum on the issue, with 52.5% of voters rejecting a resumption of negotiations against 47.5% in favor, according to public broadcaster RÚV.

Votes have been counted in five of the country's six electoral districts, with final results expected later in the day. Polling stations closed at midnight Central European Summer Time, which corresponds to 22:00 local time.

How the Vote Count Shifted

Early on, until around 5:15 Central European time, a majority of counted votes favored resuming talks, but the trend then reversed. According to RÚV, the initial count included a disproportionate share of ballots from Reykjavik, and the Icelandic capital has traditionally been far more supportive of closer ties with the EU than the rest of the country.

A Long History with Brussels

Iceland, home to nearly 400,000 people, is a founding member of NATO and already participates in the European single market and the Schengen Area, yet it has never joined the EU. In 2010, at the height of the financial crisis, the country opened accession talks, but suspended them in 2013 after its economy rebounded quickly, amid a bitter dispute with the EU over fishing rights.

Icelanders' interest in EU membership has grown noticeably in recent times, driven by rising living costs, Russia's war against Ukraine, and statements by US President Donald Trump about the need to bring Greenland under American control.

Before talks were frozen in 2013, Iceland had already closed 11 of the 33 chapters in the accession negotiation file. Had the country closed all the chapters, it would have had to hold a separate referendum specifically on joining the European Union.

Source: seznamzpravy.cz