Reuters —
Icelanders have voted to stay out of the European Union, broadcaster RUV reported on Sunday, rejecting a government push to reopen membership talks and siding with those who said Iceland’s fishing waters were too important to risk.
A ‘no’ vote will disappoint Brussels, as some officials had cast Iceland as a low-risk case that could help ease scepticism toward EU enlargement and strategically strengthen the bloc when Arctic security is in focus.
The government had framed its membership plan as a “now or never” moment, and Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir told voters in August that a “no” would put all EU speculation aside.
“Yes” campaigners have said joining the bloc could ease high interest rates and offer more security in a world unsettled by war in Ukraine and US President Donald Trump’s rhetoric about annexing another Arctic island Greenland.
