Iceland rejects EU membership talks in referendum vote, projections show

In a vote held on Saturday, the majority of Iceland's population, at 52.8%, rejected the resumption of talks to join the European Union, according to the official tally published by the public broadcaster RUV. The nation maintains a close relationship with the EU as a member of the European Economic Area and the Schengen zone, which allows for smoother movement of people, capital, goods, and services. Norway and Liechtenstein are the only other European countries sharing this same relationship with the EU.

Iceland applied to join the EU in 2009 following a financial crisis that had severely impacted its economy. The vote effectively puts the long-debated issue to rest for the second time. In 2015, a euroskeptic government halted EU negotiations. However, the left-leaning coalition government elected in 2024 had earlier moved up the referendum after a mistake by President Trump referring to Iceland multiple times while speaking about Greenland.

Opposition to rejoining the EU focused on fishing rights and the benefits Iceland already enjoys from being part of the EU's single market and Schengen free-travel zone. They argued that Iceland's voice would be diminished in the large European Parliament and that the nation would be better off negotiating its own trade deals, like the one with China.

Supporters claimed that EU membership could lower inflation and interest rates, and that the euro would provide more stability than Iceland's volatile króna. They also believed that being closer to European neighbors would help address transnational issues such as climate change.