30.08.2026 11:30
In Iceland, the ballot box established for resuming European Union membership negotiations returned a "No" decision. Polls published in Icelandic media before the referendum indicated that 51.3 percent of the public was in favor of resuming the negotiations.
The government's proposal to resume European Union (EU) membership negotiations was rejected in a referendum in Iceland. In the vote, which defied polls, 52.5 percent of voters cast 'No' votes, while Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir announced that the EU file was closed for good under her government.
CAPITAL SUPPORTED, RURAL AND COASTAL AREAS VETOED According to the results of the first 188,500 votes counted out of 270,000 registered voters, 52.5 percent of the public opposed resuming negotiations, while 'Yes' votes remained at 47.5 percent. A clear regional divide stood out in the vote. Northern Reykjavik supported the EU process with 57.5 percent, and the south with 54.5 percent. However, the picture was completely reversed in rural and coastal areas. 'No' votes of 60.5 percent in the agriculture- and fishing-heavy Southern region, 61.2 percent in the Northeast, and 62.9 percent in the Northwest directly determined the referendum's outcome. With results from the Southwest region, the 'Yes' side mathematically had no chance of winning.
Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir casting her vote at the polling station CLEAR MESSAGE FROM THE PRIME MINISTER: EU PROCESS OFF THE AGENDA Following the clarification of the result, Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir announced that she would hold a press conference to evaluate the process together with Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir and Minister of Education and Children Inga Sæland. Expressing hope that the results would not divide society, Prime Minister Frostadóttir emphasized that serious concerns in rural areas about protecting fishing, agriculture, and natural resources were reflected at the ballot box. Frostadóttir declared that after this result, the EU accession process would definitely not be brought back to the agenda during their government's term. Referring also to the harsh polarization during the campaign and threats directed at Foreign Minister Gunnarsdóttir, the Prime Minister noted that security conditions for politicians had changed, but the public had generally maintained its common sense.
POLLS WERE WRONG, 15-YEAR JOURNEY SHELVED Polls published before the referendum predicted that 51.3 percent of the public supported negotiations, but the ballot results completely defied expectations. The membership process Iceland began in 2009, suspended when an EU-skeptic government came to power in 2013, was brought to a referendum by the government formed under the Social Democratic Alliance leadership in 2024 to end uncertainty. If the 'Yes' vote had won, negotiations would have begun, and the public would have gone to the polls a second time for final membership. However, with the definitive rejection, Iceland has had its final say in favor of pursuing its own independent policies rather than integration with the European Union.