Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Icelandic voters have rejected a proposal to restart negotiations on joining the European Union, more than a decade after earlier talks ended. National broadcaster RUV reported on Sunday that opponents won the referendum by 52.8 per cent to 47.2 per cent, dealing a blow to supporters who had argued that closer ties with Europe would bring economic and strategic benefits.
The result is expected to settle a long-running political debate in Iceland, where a euro-sceptic government had ended EU talks more than 10 years ago. The vote came amid renewed discussion over security and regional alliances after US President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to control nearby Greenland.
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The referendum was held on Saturday and asked around 265,000 eligible voters a simple question: should Iceland resume accession negotiations with the European Union? Reykjavik was the only part of the country, which has a population of about 400,000, where a majority supported restarting the talks.
The vote count kept the country on edge through the night. The ‘Yes’ side took an early lead, but the trend later shifted in favour of the opposition. By dawn, only a few hundred votes separated the two sides before the gap widened as more ballots were counted from areas where opposition was stronger.
Iceland’s left-leaning coalition government, elected in 2024, had moved up the referendum from next year after Trump mistakenly named Iceland four times while speaking about his plans for Greenland. Although Iceland is a NATO member, some supporters of EU talks said closer alignment with Europe would offer greater protection if Trump were ever to make similar threats towards Iceland.
Opponents focused on fishing and argued that Iceland already benefits from the EU’s single market and the Schengen free-travel zone without giving up sovereignty that comes with full membership. They also said Iceland’s voice would be limited in the large European Parliament and that the country would be better placed making its own trade deals, including with China.
Supporters, meanwhile, argued that EU membership could help bring down inflation and interest rates, and that the euro would offer more stability than Iceland’s volatile krona. They also said Iceland should move closer to its European neighbours to deal with cross-border issues such as climate change. With voters rejecting the proposal, Iceland will not restart EU accession negotiations and the issue appears set to remain closed for now.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
