In fresh poll, Icelanders reject prospect of EU membership by wide margins

By Hjörtur J. Guðmundsson, Iceland Monitor - February 24, 2017
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The European flag flies outside of the La Canada shopping centre in Marbella, Spain in this January 23, 2013 file photo. (Jon Nazca / Reuters file photo)
The European flag flies outside of the La Canada shopping centre in Marbella, Spain in this January 23, 2013 file photo. (Jon Nazca / Reuters file photo)

The majority of Icelanders remain opposed to membership of the European Union according to a new opinion poll produced by MMR. Fifty-four percent say they do not support the idea that Iceland should become part of the bloc while 25.9  percent are in favor.

Taking only those for or against into account, 67.5 percent reject EU membership while a third is in favor. Of those who oppose joining the EU, 37.9 percent are very opposed while only 12.7 percent say they are very much in favor or three times fewer.

The opinion poll was produced 10-15 February from a sample of 808 participants. Every opinion poll published in Iceland since 2009 has had a majority against EU membership.

Iceland applied to join the EU in 2009 but the then Icelandic government announced to Brussels in 2015 that the country was no longer a candidate for EU membership.

The current Icelandic government, formed in January following general elections in October and led by the conservative Independence Party, has no plans to seek EU membership.