Icelandic voters have rejected a plan to restart accession talks with the European Union, final referendum results showed on Sunday.

The 'No' camp secured victory with 52.8% of the votes, while the 'Yes' camp garnered 47.2% support, the official count published by public broadcaster RUV showed.

The capital, Reykjavik, was the only area in the island nation of 400,000 people to support the referendum.

Some 270,000 Icelanders were eligible to vote. There was no information yet about voter turnout.

Neck-and-neck vote after long debate

Iceland has spent the better part of two decades wrestling with the question of becoming a member of the bloc. 

The Nordic country originally applied to join the EU in 2009 following the global financial crisis, which hit the country particularly hard.

Accession talks were suspended in 2013 after a euroskeptic government took office.

Iceland's current left-leaning government, elected in 2024, originally vowed to hold a referendum next year but brought the vote forward because of rising geopolitical tension over Russia's war in Ukraine and Greenland.

Fishing industry pulled weight

The decision puts to bed concerns among many voters that joining the bloc would undermine Iceland's sovereignty, with fishing rights a major concern.

The fisheries sector has been fiercely opposed to joining the bloc, with 90% of industry players against the idea.

The result is a disappointment to Brussels, which had appeared willing to compromise on thorny issues, including fishing and farming, to facilitate Iceland's accession.

If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google so you'll always see our verified news first.

Edited by: Natalie Muller, Sean Sinico