Iceland votes on whether to reopen door to EU

Icelanders are voting in a referendum on whether to resume membership negotiations with the European Union. The country applied to join the EU in 2009 following a financial crisis, but talks were suspended in 2013 when a eurosceptic government came to power.

The referendum is a tight race, with opinion polls putting the "Yes" and "No" sides neck and neck. Around 273,000 voters are being asked to answer "Yes" or "No" to the question of resuming accession negotiations. If the "Yes" side wins, an accession agreement would be negotiated with Brussels and then put to a new referendum on actual membership.

The issue of fisheries, a key part of Iceland's economy, is a major point of contention. According to the Associated Press, the negotiations with the EU would involve discussions on 35 areas, including the economy, human rights, and Iceland's fishing stocks in the North Atlantic waters. The BBC News reports that turbulent international affairs, including US President Donald Trump's threats to control nearby Greenland, have brought the vote forward.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Free Malaysia Today, Associated Press, Winnipeg Free Press, BBC News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.