Iceland EU membership referendum 2026
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Iceland Voters Reject Proposal to Reopen EU Accession Negotiations
Iceland is a founding member of NATO without any military forces of its own.
In the referendum on resuming EU accession talks, 52.8 percent of voters voted against resuming negotiations while 47.2 percent voted in favor.
Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir pledged not to put the EU membership issue back on the political agenda during her term ending in 2028 if voters rejected resuming talks.
“It is clear that the international system we have lived in since the end of World War II is in turmoil,”
Iceland votes on restarting EU talks
A "yes" vote would likely lead to years of negotiations with Brussels followed by a second referendum on formally joining the EU.
Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Gunnarsdottir said Iceland has been "disappointed" with the US’s "pressure campaign waged against both Greenlanders and Denmark".
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs concluded in a report that the costs of maintaining Iceland’s own currency probably outweigh the benefits.
Iceland Holds Referendum on Resuming EU Membership Negotiations
Iceland held a national referendum on whether to restart European Union accession negotiations.
Iceland's left-leaning government was elected in 2024.
An Icelandic foreign ministry memo estimates accession talks could begin by the end of the year and last between 18 and 24 months.
“For a country like ours with our small economy, it's very important to maintain our sovereignty and not to transfer more power than we would have to do to the EU,”
Iceland votes on whether to restart EU accession talks
No campaigners fear losing control over Iceland's fishing grounds under the EU's Common Fisheries Policy.
Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir portrayed the referendum as a vote on whether Icelanders wanted to hand decision-making powers to Brussels on fisheries, agriculture and their natural resources.
More than one in five Icelandic voters had already cast their ballots in early voting before Saturday, according to Iceland's public broadcaster RUV.
Iceland votes in EU membership referendum
Many No voters feared Iceland would cede control of its fishing grounds under the EU's common fisheries policy.
Iceland began its application to join the EU in 2009 following the 2008 financial crisis and the collapse of Iceland's banking system.
Fish and marine industries account for almost 40% of Iceland's exports.
Iceland EU referendum voting closes
Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir said the referendum day was a great day and that Icelanders had been waiting years to vote.
A final count was expected at about midday on Sunday.
A Foreign Ministry memo estimated accession talks could start by the end of 2026 and take 18 to 24 months if Iceland votes to reopen talks.
Trump's Greenland fixation shapes Iceland's EU vote debate
Iceland is a founding member of NATO and the only ally that does not have its own military forces.
Icelanders will vote on Saturday in a referendum on whether to resume negotiations to join the European Union.
Iceland suspended EU membership talks in 2013 when a euroskeptic coalition government came to power.
“It is clear that the international system we have lived in since the end of World War II is in turmoil,”
Former Iceland prime minister dismisses EU referendum relevance
Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson was Iceland's prime minister when the country dropped its previous bid to join the EU in 2015 over the issue of fishery quotas.
The leader of Iceland’s Centre Party doesn’t think his country’s upcoming referendum binds Reykjavík to reopening discussions on joining the EU — even if voters back the “Yes” campaign.
Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson argued that the wording of the referendum question is so loose, its mandate could be satisfied by simply asking Brussels what it would offer Iceland if it joined the bloc, and then dropping the accession process.
Iceland holds knife-edge EU referendum
Iceland broke away from Denmark in 1944.
Reykjavik opened EU accession talks after the 2008 financial crisis but abandoned them in 2013.
One poll put the Yes vote ahead by 51.3% to 48.7%.