Iceland Puts Brakes on EU Accession Talks... 53% of Public "Oppose"

The people of Iceland have expressed opposition to resuming negotiations for European Union (EU) accession.

Iceland Begins Referendum on Resuming Negotiations to Join the European Union (EU). Yonhap News

According to Icelandic public broadcaster RUV, after all votes were counted in six electoral districts on the 30th (local time), 52.8% of respondents opposed resuming EU accession talks, surpassing the 47.2% in favor. A total of 225,000 people participated in the vote, resulting in a turnout rate of 82.5%.

At the beginning of the vote count, the 'yes' votes took the lead, but as counting progressed, the 'no' camp overtook, and the gap gradually widened. In the capital, Reykjavik, public opinion was mostly in favor, but more 'no' votes were cast in rural regions and fishing villages.

Iceland applied to join the EU and began negotiations in 2009, the year after the 2008 financial crisis. However, negotiations were suspended in 2013 when a government skeptical of EU membership came to power.

Subsequently, after a government that pledged to resume EU accession talks was formed following the 2024 general election, discussions began once again. As global circumstances changed rapidly due to the war in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to annex Greenland, and tariff disputes, the government moved up the planned referendum timeline.

Supporters argued that the EU could serve as a security and economic safety net amid the rapidly changing international landscape.

By contrast, opponents countered that joining the EU could restrict the nation's sovereignty and autonomy over fisheries policies. In particular, since fishing accounts for about 40% of Icelandic exports and is a key industry, there was strong opposition based on concerns that joining the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy would lead to the loss of control over domestic fishing waters.

This referendum saw a tight contest between supporters and opponents until the end. According to a Gallup poll released the day before the vote, 51.6% were opposed while 48.4% were in favor, and previous polls had sometimes shown the opposite, with more in favor than against, illustrating divergent public opinion.

Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir stated the day before the vote that "regardless of the referendum result, the government will continue its work."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.