The Prime Minister of Iceland, Kristrún Frostadóttir, made it clear this Sunday that the possible accession of the country to the European Union is, for her, off the political agenda after the rejection expressed by the citizens in the referendum held this Saturday.
"It is quite clear that this issue will not advance under this government," she stated at her first press conference after the voting result, considering that her final decision is the result of the "natural course of events."
The consultation recorded a very high participation rate of 82.5%, the highest since the legislative elections of 2009. The "No" to the resumption of the accession process prevailed with 52.8% (118,040 ballots), surpassing by just over five points those in favor of resuming talks with Brussels, who reached 47.2% (105,399 votes), according to the final official data.
Iceland opened accession negotiations in 2010 but suspended them three years later, partly due to the tensions arising around the consequences of joining the common fisheries policy. The triumph of the "No" reflects that the electorate did not support the promises of the Prime Minister and, above all, of the liberal Minister of Economy Dadi Már Kristófersson, the main promoter of the consultation, to protect the fishing sector, which accounts for about 40% of Iceland's GDP.
The next move will be to decide whether the Icelandic government sends a formal request to Brussels to conclude the talks. "We will discuss with the parliamentary committee on Foreign Affairs the best way to close this chapter. We do not intend to make any definitive decision on this," Frostadóttir pointed out.
For now, the Icelandic leader explained that she has already exchanged messages with Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, and emphasized that the European institutions, regardless of the outcome of the referendum, know her willingness to "maintain a strong relationship."
Whatever the political reading, "we are happy with a wonderful referendum," celebrated the Prime Minister, who highlighted that the consultation, beyond the result, recorded exceptional participation and "has raised the level of the debate."