Euractiv called Iceland's decision on the EU a serious blow

Iceland's refusal to resume negotiations on joining the European Union would be a "serious blow to Brussels' dreams." This was announced on August 30 by the Euractiv portal.

"The result will undermine the desire in Brussels to expand the bloc, which has not increased since Croatia joined in 2013. It is expected that the leaders will determine the contours of the next expansion at the leaders' summit in Brussels in October," the publication says.

It is specified that the European Union planned to unite rich Iceland and another poor country. This, according to the portal, would make the expansion of the association more acceptable to "skeptical governments."

Iceland is a founding member of NATO and is a member of the European Economic Area. This gives the state access to the EU single market, but the country cannot influence the formation of European legislation.

Reykjavik officially applied for EU membership in 2009, but it was withdrawn in 2013.

The people of Iceland refused to discuss joining the EU. And here's why

On August 30, broadcaster RÚV reported that in Iceland, opponents of resuming negotiations on joining the European Union are leading the referendum. According to the results of the vote count, 52.8% of the participants opposed the resumption of the negotiation process with the EU, and another 47.2% supported such an initiative.

Euractiv portal reported on August 7 that the Icelandic authorities asked the European Commission not to interfere in the upcoming referendum on the resumption of negotiations on the country's possible accession to the European Union.