Iceland votes on whether to reopen door to EU

Icelanders are voting in a referendum on whether to resume negotiations on joining the European Union. The country's 273,000 eligible voters are being asked to answer "Yes" or "No" to the question of resuming accession talks.

The referendum is a tight race, with opinion polls showing the "Yes" and "No" sides neck and neck. 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, with Reykjavik wanting control over its fishing stocks in the North Atlantic waters. Some voters also see EU membership as a potential protection against threats from outside, including US President Donald Trump's comments about controlling nearby Greenland, according to the Associated Press.

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