Icelanders rejected a reopening of membership talks with the European Union, the country’s national broadcaster said, in a referendum seen as a test of the bloc’s geopolitical appeal.
Opponents of negotiations with the 27-member bloc accounted for 52.8% of the votes against 47.2% 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.
A negative outcome suggests Icelanders aren’t too concerned over the shifting geopolitical landscape, even after US President Donald Trump’s approaches toward its neighbor Greenland sparked a diplomatic crisis in the NATO defense bloc. Iceland is the only member of the military alliance without an army.
For the EU, the “no” vote is a blow at a time when policy makers seek to make the accession process quicker amid doubts about the bloc’s appeal. 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.
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%, according to World Trade Organization data. The country has western Europe’s highest interest rate, at 8%, as inflation has exceeded the 2.5%-target of the country’s central bank since 2020.
Iceland applied to join the bloc 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.
