Iceland set to reject talks to rejoin EU, national broadcaster says

A supporter waves a European Union flag (Marco Di Marco/AP)

Iceland looks set to reject a referendum that would have restarted negotiations to join the European Union – more than a decade after previous talks died, the national broadcaster reported.

The vote will put the long-debated issue to rest for the second time. A eurosceptic government ended EU talks in 2015.

With all but one constituency fully reporting results, the vote against the EU led 52.5% to 47.5%, RUV reported.

The national broadcaster said it was almost impossible that the remaining votes to be counted in the south west, where the measure was losing, could reverse the result.

The vote was held in the shadow of US President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to control nearby Greenland that drove some voters to favour the idea of European solidarity.

Although Iceland is a Nato member, supporters said they would have greater protection from their neighbours if Mr Trump ever made similar threats toward the volcanic island.

Iceland’s left-leaning coalition government, elected in 2024, moved up the EU referendum it had planned for next year after Mr Trump mistakenly named the country four times while speaking about his designs on Greenland.

It was a simple yes-or-no question for roughly 265,000 eligible voters: Should Iceland resume accession negotiations with the European Union?

Opponents rallied around fishing and the fact that Iceland already reaps benefits from being in the EU’s frictionless single market and the Schengen free-travel zone without the sovereignty compromises that inevitably come with full membership.

They argued that Iceland’s voice would be muted in the large European Parliament and that it would be better off cutting its own trade deals, such as one with China.

Backers said EU membership would lower inflation and interest rates, and the euro would bring more stability than Iceland’s volatile krona.

They said it was also in the nation’s interest to get closer to its European neighbours to tackle issues that do not respect borders, such as climate change.