Icelanders have voted to stay out of the European Union, according to broadcaster RUV. The result rejects the government’s push to reopen membership talks and shows strong support for protecting the country’s vital fishing waters.
Some votes from one constituency are still pending, but they are not expected to change the overall outcome. A “no” vote will disappoint Brussels, which had seen the small nation of 400,000 people as a relatively easy and low-risk candidate for enlargement, especially with growing attention on Arctic security.
The government presented the referendum as a “now or never” moment. Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir warned that a rejection would put the membership question aside for a long time. She argued that joining the EU could serve as a shield against trade wars and Arctic rivalry.
Iceland first applied for membership in 2009 after a severe financial crisis. Talks ended in 2013 under a Eurosceptic government. Recent global turmoil, including conflicts and US tariffs, revived the debate. Supporters claimed that membership could lower interest rates and improve security. Iceland’s central bank rate currently stands at 8 percent, far higher than the European Central Bank’s 2.25 percent.
Opponents focused on sovereignty and fishing rights. They argued that EU membership would threaten control over the country’s rich waters. Opposition leader Gudrun Hafsteinsdottir said the economic benefits are overstated and that Icelandic politicians must solve the country’s own problems.
Many voters agreed. Seventy-year-old Ragnhildur Skarphedinsdottir said Iceland is managing well on its own and looks brightly to the future as an independent nation. Debates during the campaign centred more on the cost of living, interest rates and fishing quotas than on pure security issues.
The government will hold a press conference later today. Whatever the final tally, the result ends a decades-long discussion for now and keeps Iceland outside the European Union.
