Iceland rejects EU accession talks in referendum after divisive campaign

Iceland has ⁠rejected ⁠a government proposal ​to reopen ⁠accession talks with ⁠the ​EU after a closely fought referendum campaign that divided the country against a backdrop of global volatility.

After a long and anxious night for those on both sides of the debate, the no camp ended up with 52.8% of votes on Sunday morning and the yes camp 47.2%. Voter turnout was high at 82.5%.
The vote was held in the shadow of repeated threats by Donald Trump to invade or acquire neighbouring Greenland. Although Iceland is a Nato member, supporters of EU membership said European solidarity would provide greater protection if Trump ever made similar threats towards the smaller Arctic island.

Speaking at a press conference, the prime minister, Kristrún Frostadóttir, said the campaign had “raised the debate in Iceland to a higher level” while acknowledging there were aspects that “could have been done better”.

Given how close the outcome was, she said, it was important to also respect the views of yes voters. But she said: “It is quite clear that this matter will not move forward under this government.”

She said the government would wait to decide on whether to submit a parliamentary resolution formally withdrawing its EU membership application. Iceland originally applied in 2009 after the financial crash. It pulled out of talks in 2013, saying it could not go any further without a referendum.

There will be disappointment in Brussels, which had been keen to welcome a wealthy new member and appeared willing to compromise with Iceland on thorny issues such as fishing to facilitate its accession.

The yes campaign argued that joining the EU could offer greater security amid war in Ukraine and the Middle East, and given the US president’s unpredictable attitude towards the Arctic.

But the no campaigners’ warnings that EU membership would threaten the country’s sovereignty and fishing waters turned the vote in their favour.