Wegweisende Volksabstimmung: Isländer stimmen gegen EU-Beitrittsverhandlungen

The people of Iceland have voted by a narrow margin, 52.8% to 47.2%, to end negotiations for their country's return to European Union membership. The referendum saw a slim majority of 12,000 more people voting against the continuation of the talks that had been paused 13 years ago. Nearly 270,000 Icelanders were eligible to vote.

About one-fifth of them had already cast their ballots in advance, according to Icelandic television. The head of the social democratic government, Kristrún Frostadóttir, had previously stated she would abide by the result of the referendum.

Iceland had made an EU membership application in 2009 during a financial crisis when the country had only around 400,000 inhabitants. However, following the 2013 parliamentary elections, the newly skeptical EU government put the accession plans on hold. Frostadóttir had described a resumption of negotiations as "one of the most significant steps" in reducing risks for the island in an interview on Icelandic TV.

In times of uncertainty and changing international relations, she questioned whether a small country like Iceland should strive to align itself with larger states and alliances. "We see around us that countries in our neighborhood have been protected by the European Union," these statements were interpreted as an allusion to the Greenland conflict.

The call to vote was issued to around 270,000 Icelanders. Five percent of them had reportedly already voted before the deadline. The fishery industry serves as a critical point of contention. Economically, Iceland is already deeply integrated with Europe: the country belongs to the European Economic Area and enjoys the benefits of the single market, but lacks any say in key decisions.

Negotiations for EU membership primarily focused on the fisheries debate - the island's largest and most identity-defining economic sector. Again, doubts arose whether accession could be possible without giving up too many of its own rights. Prime Minister Frostadóttir had promised her fellow citizens that Iceland would leave the negotiation table quickly if it did not have full control over its fishing resources.

However, by now, the fear had become too great. In any case, the path to accession would have been long. Ultimately, the Icelandic people would have had a second vote: they would decide on membership in this scenario, and the government had announced that they would be able to do so.