Iceland’s voters rejected restarting negotiations to join the European Union in a referendum that pitted concerns about geopolitical stability against keeping national control of Iceland’s prized fisheries, officials said on Sunday.Opponents defeated the measure by a margin of 52.8 per cent to 47.2 per cent, the National Electoral Commission said. The result puts the divisive issue to rest for now – more than a decade after a Eurosceptic government ended EU talks that had begun after the 2008 financial crisis.The vote Saturday was held in the shadow of repeated threats by US President Donald Trump to take control of nearby Greenland. Although Iceland is a Nato member, supporters said European solidarity would provide greater protection if Trump ever made similar threats towards 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.The Trump administration respects “the sovereign decision” by Iceland, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement. “We look forward to strengthening our partnership with Iceland on all fronts including security, energy, innovation, and economic and cultural ties, to further advance our shared vision of peace and prosperity,” he said.Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir said she did not see the loss as a setback for her coalition government but as a win for democracy as more than 82 per cent of the eligible 270,000 voters cast ballots. She said she would respect the result but would not rule out a future attempt to reopen the issue.