‘The People Will Have the Last Say’: Iceland Rejects EU Talks Despite Trump’s Arctic Ambitions

Icelanders have rejected a proposal to reopen negotiations on European Union membership, rejecting a proposal to reopen EU membership negotiations despite concerns about security in the North Atlantic and President Donald Trump’s ambitions involving Greenland. In Saturday’s referendum, 52.8% voted against restarting talks and 47.2% supporting the proposal, with turnout reaching about 82.5%.

The result is a setback for Iceland’s pro-EU government, with supporters having argued that closer ties with the EU could strengthen Iceland’s economic and strategic position. A diplomat confirmed to Reuters, ‘This is a clear setback for Brussels.’ The vote asked whether negotiations that followed Iceland’s 2009 application for EU membership after the financial crisis and were later abandoned should be restarted.

Trump’s Greenland Ambitions Raise Security Fears

Trump’s repeated statements about wanting to acquire Greenland became an important backdrop to Iceland’s pivotal referendum on 29 August. Greenland is an autonomous territory with the Kingdom of Denmark, and its strategic position has made the Arctic an increasingly important area for the US, Europe and other major powers. Iceland lies about 290 kilometres from Greenland at its closest point.

Trump’s remarks, including his description of Greenland as a “piece of ice” and his apparent confusion between Greenland and Iceland, caused unease in Iceland and contributed to tensions within NATO. While some of his comments were dismissed as mistakes, they added to concerns in a country that has no standing army and has traditionally relied on NATO and its defence ties with the United States for security.

Against that backdrop, supporters of reopening EU membership talks argued that stronger ties with Europe could help Iceland respond to growing security concerns in the Arctic. Iceland’s Foreign and Defence Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir warned in a report, as shared by The Washington Post, that ‘the international system we have lived with since the end of World War II is shaking.’

The report said Gunnarsdottir believed Iceland needed to reassess its position as the security environment changed. She argued that holding a referendum on EU negotiations would allow voters to decide whether the country should pursue closer ties with the bloc and help shape Iceland’s long-term future.

Fishing and Sovereignty Shape the Vote

For opponents of reopening negotiations, however, the question was less about Trump and more about preserving Iceland’s independence. Fishing was a central issue throughout the campaign, with seafood accounting for around 40% of Iceland’s goods exports. Critics feared that EU membership could reduce the country’s ability to decide how its valuable fishing grounds are managed.

Iceland applied for EU membership in 2009. Accession negotiations were put on hold in 2013, and in 2015 the government asked the EU not to regard Iceland as a candidate country. The membership application itself was never formally withdrawn.

Fisheries were expected to be one of the most sensitive issues in any accession deal, given Iceland’s determination to retain control over its fishing resources. ‘We are a superpower when it comes to fisheries. We will not sign any agreement which will not underline our sovereignty and full control of our fisheries,’ Thorgerdur Katrín said.

Opponents of the new referendum argued that Iceland already has access to the European single market through the European Economic Area and participates in the Schengen travel area while remaining outside the EU’s political institutions and decision-making structures.

Originally published on IBTimes UK