Icelandic voters reject a proposal to restart negotiations to join the European Union

Icelandic voters reject a proposal to restart negotiations to join the European Union 0 seconds of 1 minute, 45 secondsVolume 0% Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts Keyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabled Shortcuts Open/Close/ or ? Play/PauseSPACE Increase Volume↑ Decrease Volume↓ Seek Forward→ Seek Backward← Captions On/Offc Fullscreen/Exit Fullscreenf Mute/Unmutem Decrease Caption Size- Increase Caption Size+ or = Seek %0-9 Next Up A Chinese humanoid robot sets 100-meter sprint record of 8.86 seconds 00:52 Subtitle Settings OffEnglish(US)_v Font Color White Font Opacity 100% Font Size 100% Font Family Arial Character Edge None Edge Color Black Background Color Black Background Opacity 50% Window Color Black Window Opacity 0% Reset WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25% 200%175%150%125%100%75%50% ArialCourierGeorgiaImpactLucida ConsoleTahomaTimes New RomanTrebuchet MSVerdana NoneRaisedDepressedUniformDrop Shadow WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25%0% WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25%0% 00:00 01:45 01:45 More Videos 00:52 A Chinese humanoid robot sets 100-meter sprint record of 8.86 seconds 01:38 'I'll miss you guys': Karoline Leavitt bids farewell on last day as White House press secretary 01:13 Dolly Parton, beloved music icon, dies at 80 01:31 US Senator Darline Graham speaks after winning GOP primary runoff to replace her late brother in US Senate 01:55 Trump signs order renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America 'effective immediately' 01:50 Iran's currency hits new record low as US prepares to announce more sanctions 01:32 Governor criticizes Secretary Kennedy as two unvaccinated Pennsylvania residents die from measles 01:36 Trump calls International Space Station during visit to NASA Mission Control Close 1 of 5 | Voters in Iceland went to the polls Saturday to decide whether the country should resume long-stalled negotiations to join the European Union, against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to control nearby Greenland. The yes-or-no referendum question is simple enough for the roughly 265,000 eligible voters: Should Iceland resume Accession Negotiations with the European Union? (AP Video by Kwiyeon Ha) 2 of 5 | A supporter waves a European Union flag during an election-night gathering for the yes in Reykjavik, Iceland, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco) 3 of 5 | Leaders of the No campaign react as early results from rural Iceland put the No side ahead during an election-night gathering in Reykjavik, Iceland, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco) 4 of 5 | Former Icelandic Prime Minister and Centre Party leader Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, left, Independence Party leader Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir, center, and Progressive Party leader Lilja Dögg Alfreðsdóttir talk during a No campaign election-night gathering in Reykjavik, Iceland, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco) 5 of 5 | Supporters of the Yes campaign celebrate after Reykjavik results put their side into a narrow nationwide lead during an election-night gathering in Reykjavik, Iceland, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco) By KWIYEON HA and BRIAN MELLEY Updated 12:19 PM MESZ, August 30, 2026 Leer en español Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Reykjavik, Iceland (AP) — Iceland’s voters rejected a proposal to restart negotiations on joining the European Union more than a decade after previous talks ended, the national broadcaster reported Sunday. The vote will put the long-debated issue to rest more than a decade after a euroskeptic government ended EU talks. Opponents defeated the measure by a margin of 52.8% to 47.2%, RUV reported. The capital of Reykjavik was the only area in the island nation of 400,000 people where a majority supported the referendum. The vote Saturday was held in the shadow of U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to control nearby Greenland, which drove some voters to favor the idea of European solidarity. Although Iceland is a NATO member, supporters said they would have greater protection from their neighbors if Trump ever made similar threats toward the volcanic island. Iceland’s left-leaning coalition government, elected in 2024, moved up the EU referendum it had planned for next year after Trump mistakenly named Iceland four times while speaking about his designs on Greenland. Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir, who campaigned in support of the measure, said she hoped the result would not divide the nation. “I don’t feel that there is bitterness,” she told RUV before the final results were tallied. “I know tempers run high for some people, but I have now spent time with a large group of people from all over the country and people are quite open to different outcomes.” Trump’s Greenland threats cast a shadow on Iceland’s vote on whether to trigger EU membership talks 2 MIN READ What to know about Iceland’s vote on whether to restart talks to join the EU 2 MIN READ Islandeses rechazan propuesta para reanudar negociaciones sobre unirse a la Unión Europea 2 MIN READ It was a simple yes-or-no question for roughly 265,000 eligible voters: Should Iceland resume Accession Negotiations with the European Union? The vote count through the night had the nation on edge as the “Yes” vote took an early lead before eventually swinging in favor of the opposition. By dawn, a margin of only a few hundred votes separated the two camps before the gap grew as more ballots were tallied in areas of the country where opposition was greater. “This isn’t the time to go. Maybe 10, 15, 20 years or more, like, we can take another look,” said Daniel Bjarkason, who voted against the measure. “But for now we’re too divided and that’s not a good look, because it should be 70-30 Yes if we’re going to do it.” Opponents rallied around fishing and the fact that Iceland already reaps benefits from being in the EU’s frictionless single market and the Schengen free-travel zone without the sovereignty compromises that inevitably come with full membership. They argued that Iceland’s voice would be muted in the large European Parliament and that it would be better off cutting its own trade deals, such as one with China. Backers said EU membership would lower inflation and interest rates, and the euro would bring more stability than Iceland’s volatile króna. They said it was also in the nation’s interest to get closer to its European neighbors to tackle issues that don’t respect borders, such as climate change. If the proposal had been approved, it would have been a preliminary step to revive the lengthy negotiating process with the EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, to discuss areas from the economy to human rights. Voters would have needed to approve any negotiated deal. The influential fishing industry led opposition to the referendum out of fear that the bloc’s common fisheries policy would allow Spanish, Dutch and other trawlers into its valuable waters. Descendants of Vikings who settled in Iceland have lived off the sea for centuries and the bountiful catches of cod, haddock and capelin are central to its national identity. It won its independence from Denmark in 1944 and has a proud history of refusing to be pushed around by bigger and richer European nations, winning the so-called Cod Wars with Britain in the 1970s over its fishing grounds.