Icelanders rejected a government proposal to resume European Union accession talks in a Saturday referendum, with 52.8 percent voting against reopening negotiations. The outcome, reported by public broadcaster RUV, stalls membership efforts suspended in 2013 and keeps the island’s vital fishing waters outside Brussels’ regulatory reach.
Voters across the North Atlantic island put an end to the current administration’s push to restart integration with public broadcaster RUV confirming that the ‘No’ camp captured 52.8 percent of the ballots cast. Supporters of the government’s membership plan secured 47.2 percent in an election that drew an 82.5 percent turnout among eligible voters, according to reporting published by Reuters. Out of six constituencies, only the two in central Reykjavik had a majority that voted in favour. The country of just under 400,000 people applied to join the EU in the wake of a 2009 financial crisis that devastated its economy. The Arctic island of 400,000 people has debated whether to join the EU for well over a decade and had initially been expected to narrowly back holding membership talks, but opinion polls this month showed views had changed.
Fisheries, Sovereignty, and the ‘No’ Campaign
Opposition leaders built their winning strategy around protecting the nation’s maritime economy as Icelanders rejected a government push to reopen membership talks and sided with those who said Iceland’s fishing waters were too important to risk. The nation rejects accession negotiations with the EU,
RUV reported. The small North Atlantic island is already a close ally of the EU, as a member of the European Economic Area and the Schengen zone, which in practical terms allows easier movement of people, capital, goods and services.
Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir said a no would put all EU speculation aside, telling voters in August that it would end the debate for as long as her centre-left coalition was in power. On Sunday, she told RUV she hoped the vote would not leave the nation divided. Kristrun, who spoke at public meetings around the country in the final weeks in support of yes, said: I don't experience this as hurt. I know some people have been in a state of shock, but now I've sat with a large group of people across the country and people are completely open to different outcomes.
She acknowledged that many people in Iceland had concerns, while the vote was held in the shadow of US President Donald Trump’s rhetoric. The government is due to hold a lunchtime media conference (13:00 GMT) on Sunday to present its plans.
Brussels’ Setback and Future Status for the Arctic Island
The result deals a blow to Brussels, which had been keen to welcome a new wealthy member and had expressed a willingness to compromise with Reykjavík on fisheries and other thorny issues to facilitate accession. Brussels had also hoped to be able to present Icelandic membership as an example of positive enlargement that could also make it more palatable for member states to agree to take in less wealthy countries such as Montenegro, and officials had hoped an Iceland vote to join would curb euroscepticism. This is a clear setback for Brussels,
an EU diplomat told Reuters, adding that the issues of fishing and independence had been decisive.
The government had framed its membership plan as a “now or never” moment, and a euroskeptic government ended EU talks in 2013. Online ballot counting on RUV showed the final breakdown on Sunday as the ‘No’ camp had 52.8% of votes and the ‘Yes’ camp 47.2%.
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