Icelanders have rejected a proposal to restart membership negotiations with the European Union. Final results showed 52.8% voted against reopening the talks, while 47.2% supported the proposal.
Public broadcaster RUV released the final results on Sunday. The remaining ballots from the Southwest Constituency confirmed a narrow national majority against restarting negotiations.
The referendum took place on Saturday after a closely fought campaign. The result means Iceland will not reopen its EU accession talks at this stage.
Reykjavik backs EU negotiations
Voting patterns differed significantly across Iceland. Both Reykjavik constituencies supported restarting the negotiations, with 57.5% voting Yes in Reykjavik North and 54.5% in Reykjavik South.
Other constituencies rejected the proposal. The Northwest recorded 62.9% against the talks, while 61.2% voted No in the Northeast.
The South recorded 60% against reopening negotiations. The Southwest also rejected the proposal, with 53% voting No.
Referendum was not on EU membership
The referendum did not ask voters to decide whether Iceland should join the EU. Instead, it asked whether the government should resume accession talks that have remained frozen for more than a decade.
A Yes vote would have allowed the government to reopen negotiations with Brussels. Any final agreement would then have required another referendum before Iceland could join the bloc.
The European Movement, which campaigned for a Yes vote, expressed disappointment with the result. However, the group highlighted that 47.2% of voters supported continuing negotiations and said it would keep promoting closer ties with Europe.
Iceland keeps close European ties
Iceland applied to join the EU in 2009 after its banking system collapsed during the global financial crisis. Accession negotiations began the following year but stopped in 2013 after a eurosceptic government took office.
Iceland has never formally withdrawn its application. The European Commission has also confirmed that the application remains legally valid.
The country remains closely linked to the EU through the European Economic Area and Schengen arrangements. The European Movement said Iceland also relies on cooperation through NATO and other European partnerships.
“A new chapter begins,” the group said, adding that it would continue working to strengthen ties between Iceland and Europe. The government has pledged to respect the referendum result.
