Iceland rejected the resumption of talks on joining the European Union. The “No” camp narrowly prevailed in the referendum on whether suspended negotiations should be resumed, as confirmed by the relevant authorities.

The final results showed that 105,399 voters (47.2%) voted “Yes”, while 118,040 (52.8%) voted “No”. A total of 225,031 votes were counted, with turnout reaching 82.5%.

“The country rejects negotiations on EU accession,” RÚV announced on its website.

The referendum result represents a major setback for the EU, which had viewed Iceland’s candidacy positively and appeared willing to make compromises over the country’s accession to the bloc.

Following the referendum result, any discussion regarding Iceland’s accession to the EU will be “frozen” at least until 2028.