Iceland Votes to Steer Clear of European Union Talks

Iceland Votes to Steer Clear of European Union Talks - The New York Times

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Iceland Votes to Steer Clear of European Union Talks

After a divisive national debate, Icelanders rejected a proposal to resume negotiations on joining the bloc, according to the national broadcaster.

Listen · 5:08 min

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!A group of people applaud and cheer, reacting to something that they’re watching off camera.

*Leaders of the “No to E.U.” campaign reacting as early results came in during a rally in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Saturday.

Credit...

Marco Di Marco/Associated Press*

By

Amelia Nierenberg and Egill Bjarnason

Amelia Nierenberg spent a week in Iceland this month, reporting from Reykjavik, the capital, and remote areas in the west. Egill Bjarnason reported from Husavik.

Aug. 30, 2026

Updated 7:57 a.m. ET

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Icelanders voted against resuming negotiations on joining the European Union, the country’s national broadcaster reported on Sunday, after an unusually divisive debate.

The “no” side received 52.8 percent of the vote, the broadcaster, RUV, said. Icelandic officials were expected to announce the official results later on Sunday.

RUV reported that more than 225,000 people in this Nordic nation of 400,000, or some 82.5 percent of eligible voters, cast ballots in the referendum on Saturday. RUV said it was the highest voter turnout in any Icelandic election since 2009.

The decision was a setback for the 27-member European Union, which has been pitching itself as a progressive and pragmatic alliance in an increasingly uncertain world. If Iceland had eventually become a member state, the bloc would have been able to expand its presence in the Arctic and bring in a wealthy nation.

Previous talks about Iceland joining the European Union were put on ice in 2013. There was no immediate comment from the union.

Many complex issues for Icelanders were at play. In interviews before the referendum, many people who planned to vote “no” said they were worried that joining the bloc could threaten the country’s control of its valuable fishing industry, as well as its sovereignty on other issues.

Amelia Nierenberg

is a Times reporter covering international news from London.

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