Iceland votes to reject the EU as fisheries worry prevails
Iceland, which won independence from Denmark in 1944, is among the world's richest countries per capita.
Farmers near Skogafoss, Iceland, display hay bales with the anti-EU message “no thanks.” | BLOOMBERG
BLOOMBERG
Aug 31, 2026
Icelanders narrowly turned down reopening membership talks with the European Union in a divisive referendum, as concerns over retaining control of the island nation’s natural resources eclipsed the case for closer alignment with Europe.
After a night of see-saw tally, the “no” camp scored 52.8% support against 47.2% for the “yes” side when all ballots were counted, a somewhat larger victory than projected by polls in the run-up to the vote, according to the final results presented by the electoral commission on Sunday.
For the EU, the result dealt a symbolic setback to efforts to revive interest in enlargement just as it’s seeking to kick the process out of a 13-year hiatus.
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