Iceland votes on whether to restart talks on joining EU
Iceland is holding a national referendum to decide whether to resume negotiations for European Union membership. The vote is highly contested, with concerns centered on the impact on the nation's fishing industry and sovereignty.
Why it matters
A potential accession would significantly alter Iceland's economic integration and geopolitical alignment within Europe.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Paul Kirby Europe digital editor AFP via Getty Images Latest opinion polls have been so close that the result is impossible to call Icelanders are voting in a referendum to decide whether to resume talks on joining the European Union, 13 years after they were broken off.
In an indication of how tight the result is expected to be, the latest opinion poll put the No campaign in the lead with 51.6%. An earlier poll had put the Yes campaign ahead.
Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir's centre-left government had already intended to hold a referendum, but turbulent international affairs prompted her to bring it forward.
But the debate was fought less over Nato member Iceland's security concerns than over its vital fishing industry and sovereignty.
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