Icelanders reject restarting talks to join European Union

Iceland's voters reject a proposal to restart negotiations on joining the European Union more than a decade after previous talks ended.

The vote will put the long-debated issue to rest more than a decade after a euroskeptic government ended EU talks. Opponents defeated the measure by a margin of 52.8% to 47.2%, according to officials.

The capital of Reykjavik was the only area in the island nation of 400,000 people where a majority supported the referendum. Iceland's left-leaning coalition government, elected in 2024, moved up the EU referendum it had planned for next year after US President Donald Trump mistakenly named Iceland four times while speaking about his designs on Greenland.

Trump has repeatedly threaten to control nearby Greenland, which drove some voters with supporters of the referendum citing greater protection in fear of receiving similar threats.