Iceland parliament to debate EU membership bid after referendum rejects talks
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Iceland's parliament will consider the future of the country's EU accession application after a referendum rejected restarting negotiations, with the prime minister saying no further talks will be pursued under the current government.
Icelandic voters rejected a proposal to restart EU accession talks in a referendum held on Sunday, with 52.8% voting against and 47.2% in favor, according to the national broadcaster RÚV. Voter turnout was 82.5%.
Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir said the result will be respected and that her government does not plan to resume negotiations. She added that the issue will be examined by the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, but no firm decision has been made yet. Frostadóttir noted that the referendum was not a party-political matter and that EU membership is likely to feature in the next general election.
The application, first submitted in 2009, has never been formally withdrawn, although earlier talks collapsed in 2013. A professor of politics at Bifröst University described the vote as a significant setback for the coalition, which had invested political capital in seeking a mandate to reopen negotiations.
European officials responded that the EU respects the Icelandic decision and will continue to view the country as a close partner. The European Commission spokesperson said the EU’s appeal remains strong but cannot be taken for granted.