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Iceland votes against resuming EU accession talks

Iceland has voted in a referendum against resuming talks on joining the European Union, with 52.5% opposing and 47.5% in favor.

30 August 2026Tagblick Newsdesk

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Archive photo: Iceland votes against resuming EU accession talks — Archive photoPhoto: Naturewebdesign · Flickr · BY-SA

Iceland voted on Sunday against the resumption of talks regarding accession to the European Union. This is evident from initial results from a referendum reported by public broadcaster RÚV.

In the referendum, the 'no' camp received 52.5 percent of the votes, while 47.5 percent voted in favor of resuming talks. A few votes remain to be counted, but the likelihood of the 'yes' camp catching up is low.

The accession talks with the EU had been halted in 2015, but inflation and geopolitical threats had led to a reconsideration of that decision.

Despite this, the majority of Icelandic voters have decided not to engage in talks with the EU again. Professor Steven Van Hecke noted that this does not represent a loss of face for the EU.

Iceland is currently a member of the European Economic Area and the Schengen Zone, which allows for the free movement of people, goods, capital, and services.

The final results of the referendum will be definitively established after the remaining votes are counted.

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