Iceland's voters have rejected a referendum to restart negotiations to join the European Union. RÚV, the national broadcaster, said opponents defeated the measure by a margin of 52.8% to 47.2%.

Iceland’s voters rejected a proposal to restart negotiations on joining the European Union more than a decade after previous talks ended, the national broadcaster reported Sunday.

The vote will put the long-debated issue to rest more than a decade after a euroskeptic government ended EU talks.

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.

  • Humanius@lemmy.worldEnglish
    15·
    2 days ago

    I was talking to my boyfriend a few weeks ago (he’s from Iceland) and he pointed out that in order to actually join the EU they’d need to amend the constitution. Specifically on the topic of sovereignty.

    In order to update the constitution they need a 2/3rds majority in parliament twice, with a parliamentary election in between.
    And that is on top of a second referendum that’d have to pass after a deal with the EU has been hammered out.

    Joining the EU would not be decided by such a narrow victory in a singular referendum.

    • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
      1·
      13 hours ago

      I don’t know the specific of the politics surrounding this, but it might be easier to get a two-thirds supermajority in a parliamentary vote than a simple majority in a popular vote.