European Union says it respects Iceland's "no" and calls the country a "close partner"

The European Union stated today that it respects Iceland's decision to reject the resumption of negotiations to join the European community. The European executive publicly expressed its respect for the will expressed by Icelanders through the referendum or vote that rejected the accession process. Iceland had suspended its accession negotiations with the EU several years ago, in a decision that reflected the position of Icelandic society on European integration. The EU also stated that it considers Iceland a close partner, seeking to maintain cordial relations despite the non-accession to the European bloc. This position demonstrates the European Union's openness to respecting the sovereign choices of candidate countries, even when these result in negative decisions for the enlargement process.