Katrín Jakobsdóttir urges no vote on EU accession talks

Former Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir has urged voters to reject continuing Iceland’s accession talks with the European Union, telling an outdoor meeting in Austurvöllur that the decision was too important to stay silent on, mbl.is reported.

Jakobsdóttir spoke at a meeting organised by Áfram Ísland, explaining why she planned to vote no in Saturday’s referendum. She had largely stayed out of public political debate since leaving parliament in 2024.

“The decision we are facing is much bigger than for someone not to be able to express an opinion on it,” Jakobsdóttir said.

She said she had serious reservations about EU membership when she agreed to support examining it, at a time when Iceland was in a very difficult position after the economic collapse. She said she had considered it her duty to explore every option, but that experience had strengthened her belief that EU membership was not the right path for Iceland.

Among the factors influencing her opposition, she cited the EU’s economic policies towards member states at the time and what she described as the lack of progress in negotiations on agriculture and fisheries.

Jakobsdóttir said Iceland should remain outside the European Union while continuing to develop cooperation with the bloc and other countries.

Asked whether she had based her position on having “looked inside the package”, she said that could perhaps be the case, but added that anyone could examine the EU’s foundational treaties, which are publicly accessible and most important to the issue.