REYKJAVIK, ICELAND / RankWire.AI / – The recent national referendum held on August 29 resulted in Icelandic voters choosing not to restart accession talks with the European Union. The No camp secured 52.8% of the ballots, while 47.2% supported renewing negotiations. According to reports from Iceland’s National Electoral Commission, there were 118,040 No votes and 105,339 Yes votes. The count was based on 223,379 valid ballots out of the 225,031 votes cast across the country.
Voter turnout was high at 82.6%, with 272,591 individuals registered on the electoral roll. The referendum posed a single question on whether Iceland should resume its EU accession discussions. It did not seek voter approval for EU membership itself. While Icelandic election law considers the referendum advisory, the government had pledged to honor the voters’ decision.
Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir had supported reinitiating negotiations prior to the vote. Following the result, she announced the government would respect the outcome and would not pursue accession negotiations during its current term, which extends until 2028. This decision maintains Iceland’s existing European arrangements, including its participation in the European Economic Area and access to the EU single market.
Vote results keep accession talks paused
Iceland initially applied for EU membership in July 2009 amid the aftermath of its financial crisis. The European Union began accession negotiations with Iceland in 2010, but these were put on hold after a change in government in 2013. At that point, negotiators had opened 27 chapters and provisionally closed 11. In 2015, Iceland requested that the European Union refrain from treating it as a candidate country.
The Icelandic government maintains that the original application for membership was never formally withdrawn and remains legally valid. Parliament approved the August referendum on May 28 following the government’s proposal earlier that year. The ballot presented only Yes and No options. Official information released before the vote clarified that the referendum was about renewing negotiations rather than a direct decision on EU accession.
European relations are sustained through current agreements
Support for the referendum varied significantly across Iceland’s six electoral districts. Reykjavík North showed the strongest support for renewed negotiations with 57.5% voting Yes, while Reykjavík South also supported it with 54.5%. The other four constituencies predominantly voted No, with the Northwest registering the highest opposition at 62.9%. The Northeast followed at 61.2%, and the South constituency had 60.5% against restarting accession talks.
Despite not being a member of the EU, Iceland maintains close ties through its participation in the European Economic Area since 1994, and it is also part of the Schengen Area and European Free Trade Association. The EEA grants Iceland access to the EU single market and incorporates a significant portion of EU legislation. The National Electoral Commission stated that its formal process would also include decisions on disputed ballots before the final declaration of the referendum outcome.