Icelanders chose "against" in a referendum on whether to resume talks to join the European Union (EU). There had been interest in whether accession talks could resume for the first time in about 13 years, but the wall of opposition opinion was not overcome.
According to public broadcaster RUV, with all six constituencies counted on the 30th (local time), the "against" side led with 52.8% to 47.2% for "for." A total of 225,000 people voted, and turnout was 82.5%.
In the capital, Reykjavik, support was stronger, but turnout was in the 60% range. By contrast, in rural and fishing regions where there were more votes against, turnout exceeded 80%, Politico Europe reported.
Early in the count, support was ahead, but as the count progressed, opposition reversed the lead and the gap widened thereafter.
After the 2008 financial crisis, Iceland applied to join the EU in 2009 and held talks. However, in 2013, a government skeptical of EU membership took office and the talks were suspended. With a government that pledged in 2024 to resume accession talks taking office, discussions started again.
The government argued that amid rapidly changing global dynamics, including the war in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to annex Greenland, and tariff disputes, the EU could support Iceland's security and economy. It also expected that joining the EU would help ease high interest rates and inflation.
The opposition camp countered that national sovereignty and decision-making power over fisheries could be weakened. In particular, fisheries account for about 40% of Iceland's exports and are a key industry, and there were concerns that the country could lose its own decision-making authority over fishing waters if it joined the EU.
Although it is a small country with a population of about 400,000, it maintains high income, quality of life, and democratic standards, leading to a perception that there is no need to join the EU, which is seen as having influenced opposition sentiment.
Ahead of the referendum, public opinion was evenly split. A Gallup poll the day before the vote showed 51.6% against versus 48.4% for, but a Maskína poll a few days earlier showed 51.3% for versus 48.4% against. Early in the campaign, support led, but over time opposition rose.
Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir said the day before the vote, "Regardless of the result, the government will continue its work."