Sæland surprised by Independence Party’s referendum criticism
Tuesday 1st September 2026 on 20:15 in
Iceland
Education and Children’s Affairs Minister Inga Sæland is pleased with the result of Saturday’s referendum, mbl.is reports. Her People’s Party has opposed Icelandic membership of the European Union.
She said she was proud that the government had honoured its coalition agreement by holding the vote.
“We gave the people the power, the people have spoken and we respect that,” Sæland said, adding that the issue would now be set aside.
Asked whether Iceland’s application for EU membership should now be formally withdrawn, Sæland said she wanted to let the dust settle first.
“It will become clear. There is no rush. It was only on Saturday, two days ago, and we held a news conference on Sunday where all these matters were clearly set out by us,” she said. The issue was currently in the hands of parliament, she added.
Sæland said she had previously submitted a proposal to withdraw the application because of conflicting views over whether it had actually been withdrawn when Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson, then foreign minister, corresponded with Brussels.
In 2015, Sveinsson delivered a letter to the chair of the EU Council stating that the Icelandic government did not intend to resume membership negotiations. However, other views, including those of the EU itself, held that the application had not been withdrawn.
“It seemed to me the most natural thing in the world to proceed directly,” Sæland said. The People’s Party submitted a parliamentary resolution in 2019 calling for the application, submitted in 2009, to be withdrawn.
She said the parties now making the loudest calls had been in government at the time: the Independence Party, the Progressive Party and the Left Green Movement. The Left Green Movement is no longer in parliament, while the Independence Party is now in opposition.
“It is rather surprising that they did not particularly support my idea then of formally withdrawing the application and putting the matter in parliament’s hands. So I am honestly surprised by the noise coming from that camp now,” Sæland said.