In a referendum, Icelanders rejected the proposal to resume negotiations on the country’s accession to the European Union. 52.8% voted against, 47.2% voted in favor, and voter turnout was a very high 82.5%.
The vote was not directly about joining the EU, but only about resuming negotiations. Iceland submitted its application back in 2009, began negotiations, but effectively halted them in 2013.
Had the current vote been favorable, another referendum would have been required after the terms of accession were agreed upon.
One of the main reasons for Icelandic Euroskepticism is fishing. For the island’s economy, the issue of transferring part of the control over fishery resources to the EU’s common policy is particularly sensitive.
