Frostadóttir reiterated, however, that the referendum outcome will be respected, that no further accession negotiations with the EU will be undertaken during the ruling government’s term, and that EU accessions were likely to be a theme of the next general elections.
“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, talks which collapsed in 2013. The application, however, was never formally withdrawn.
She also said that 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, 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.”