Iceland will not resume EU accession talks, prime minister says

Iceland will not resume accession negotiations with the European Union, Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir said at a press conference in Reykjavík, according to mbl.is.

“The natural course is that we do not continue with these accession negotiations,” Frostadóttir said. “It is completely clear that this issue will not move forward during the term of this government. We respect and will work with the public’s decision, including the decision to continue working within the EEA Agreement.”

She said the matter should follow the proper process, noting that negotiations had previously been ended without consulting parliament. Icelandic voters rejected restarting EU accession talks in a referendum, with the final result showing 52.8 percent voting no and 47.2 percent voting yes.