Icelandic voters reject proposal to restart talks to join the EU

REYKJAVIK, Iceland -- Iceland's voters rejected restarting negotiations to join the European Union more than a decade after previous talks ended, the national broadcaster reported Sunday, in a referendum that pitted concerns about geopolitical stability against keeping national control of Iceland’s prized fisheries.Opponents defeated the measure by a margin of 52.8% to 47.2%, RUV reported. The capital of Reykjavik was the only area in the island nation of 400,000 people where a majority supported the referendum.The vote Saturday was held in the shadow of repeated threats by U.S. President Donald Trump’s to control nearby Greenland. Although Iceland is a NATO member, supporters said European solidarity would provide greater protection if Trump ever made similar threats toward the volcanic island. Iceland’s left-leaning coalition government, elected in 2024, moved up the EU referendum it had planned for next year after Trump mistakenly named Iceland four times while speaking about his designs on Greenland. Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir, who campaigned in support of the measure, said she hoped the result would not divide the nation.“I don’t feel that there is bitterness,” she t...