Frostadóttir reiterated, however, that the referendum outcome will be respected, that no further accession negotiations with the EU will be undertaken under the current government, and that EU accessions will likely be a theme in the next general election.
“It’s crucial right now that we take stock; we make a decision on what we do with … the application,” she said. The prime minister did not say when the matter would be put to parliament.
Iceland first started talks to join the EU in 2009, but those collapsed in 2013. Its membership application, however, was never formally withdrawn.
Frostadóttir said the result would not impact her role as prime minister because the referendum “was not a party political matter” — despite her support for restarting talks.
Eiríkur Bergmann, a professor of politics at Bifröst University in Iceland, called the vote a “heavy blow” for the government.
“The coalition will emerge significantly weakened domestically, having staked considerable political capital on securing a mandate to reopen these negotiations,” he said. “However, the government will probably still survive the loss.”
