Icelandic Voters Reject a Proposal to Restart Negotiations to Join the European Union
REYKJAVIK (AP) — Iceland's voters rejected a proposal to restart negotiations on joining the European Union more than a decade after previous talks ended, the national broadcaster reported Sunday. The vote will put the long-debated issue to rest more than a decade after a euroskeptic government ended EU talks.
In Iceland, voters have rejected a proposal to restart EU accession negotiations, a decision that ends a decade-long debate. The referendum, which saw a 52.8% to 47.2% victory for opponents, took place Saturday in the shadow of U.S. President Donald Trump's threats towards Greenland. Despite being a NATO member, supporters argued that Iceland could benefit from greater protection from its neighbors in the event of such threats.
The decision was made by 265,000 eligible voters in response to a simple yes-or-no question. Opponents highlighted Iceland's current advantages within the EU, such as the frictionless single market and the Schengen free-travel zone, and emphasized that the nation's voice would be diminished in the larger European Parliament. Supporters of EU membership argued that it would lower inflation and interest rates, potentially benefitting Iceland's volatile króna.
They also believed that closer ties with European neighbors could help address borderless issues like climate change.
Written by urgent.news from The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 4 other outlets
- Icelandic voters reject a proposal to restart negotiations to join the European Union apnews.com
- Icelandic voters reject proposal to restart negotiations to join European Union scmp.com
- Icelandic voters reject a proposal to restart negotiations to join the European Union pbs.org
- Icelandic voters reject a proposal to restart negotiations to join the European Union mainichi.jp
