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Voters went to polls on Saturday on issue considered too close to call
Iceland ic prime minister Kristrun Frostadottir casts her vote in Reykjavik during the referendum on opening talks to join the European Union. Photograph: Getty Iceland ers rejected a reopening of membership talks with the European Union, the country’s national broadcaster said.
Opponents of negotiations with the EU accounted for 52.8 per cent of the votes against 47.2 per cent for supporters after a preliminary count of all ballots, according to data presented by the broadcaster known as RUV. The official results of the vote, which was held on Saturday, are due to be published on Sunday afternoon local time.
Campaigning ahead of the vote focused concerns in the Atlantic nation of just under 400,000 about sovereignty and control over its fisheries and agriculture, while supporters highlighted the prospect of lower inflation and interest rates, as well as increased geopolitical and economic stability. The Nordic nation already has access to EU’s single market through the European Economic Area agreement.
For the EU, the “no” vote is a blow at a time when policy makers seek to make the accession process quicker. It’s been 13 years since the EU last expanded, and more than three decades since an entry by a nation that became a net contributor upon accession. Iceland is among the richest nations globally on a per capita basis.
António Guterres: ‘Superpowers need to understand things have changed’ In comments last week, Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir said EU entry would help her nation boost trade, and lower costs for business and homeowners. About two-thirds of its exports went to the EU last year while the share of the US was at 9 per cent, according to World Trade Organization data.
The country has western Europe’s highest interest rate, at 8 per cent, as inflation has exceeded the 2.5 per cent target of the country’s central bank since 2020. Iceland applied to join the EU in 2009 in the aftermath of its financial crisis but froze the talks since 2013. The topic resurfaced with the change in government in late 2024. While the referendum is advisory, the government has said it will abide by the result.
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