Two days ahead of a national referendum on Iceland’s European Union accession negotiations, supporters of the ‘No’ campaign wave Icelandic flags during a rally in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Aug. 27, 2026. Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images
Icelanders rejected a proposal in a referendum on whether to reopen talks about joining the European Union, according to results released on Sunday.
The ballot asks a single question: “Should Iceland resume accession negotiations with the European Union?”
Iceland’s media reported that 52.8 percent of ballots cast were against having negotiations with the EU and 47.2 percent were in favor. There was a large turnout as 82.5 percent of eligible voters participated in the vote, Icelandic media reported.
EU membership would require Iceland to give up authority over some laws and trade policy as well as give up some control of its valuable fishing grounds in exchange for a role in EU decision-making and a path toward adopting the euro.
After more than a decade of debate, the island nation of 400,000 rejected EU membership, ultimately choosing to retain control of its valuable fishing waters.
“The nation has spoken: A clear no to the proposed [European Union] journey,” wrote Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, president of Iceland from 1996 to 2016, in a post on Sunday on X.
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This is a developing story and will be updated.
Reuters contributed to this report.
