Iceland Says No to EU Membership Talks, Keeping Its Middle-Ground Status

Icelanders voted 52.5% to 47.5% against resuming EU accession negotiations, RUV reported. The result keeps Iceland in the European Economic Area — access to the EU's single market without full membership, retaining control over fisheries and currency. The referendum asked whether to reopen talks, not whether to join outright. Sovereignty over those two sectors anchored the opposition.