Escalé mocks possible EU retaliation against Iceland after ‘No’ vote: “No negative consequences”
Concòrdia uses Iceland’s referendum result to challenge warnings about the consequences of rejecting closer ties with the EU
The president of the Concòrdia parliamentary group and Andorra’s opposition leader, Cerni Escalé, has reacted to the result of Iceland’s referendum, in which 52.5% of voters rejected moving towards possible membership of the European Union.
Escalé used the result to mock suggestions that the Nordic country could face consequences after rejecting closer integration with Brussels.
“Waiting to see the EU’s ‘terrible retaliation’ against Iceland for saying no to membership,” the Concòrdia leader said.
Escalé also highlighted Iceland’s particular geopolitical and economic situation: “A country facing the threat of war in the Arctic and which depends entirely on fish exports to Europe.”
Esperant veure les “terribles represàlies” de la UE a Islàndia per haver dit que no a l’adhesió.
Un país amb l’amenaça de la guerra a l’Àrtic i que depèn totalment de les exportacions pesqueres a Europa.
M’hi atreveixo: cap conseqüència negativa.— Cerni Escalé (@CerniEscale) August 30, 2026
The opposition leader then offered his own prediction of what will happen following the victory of the ‘No’ camp: “I’ll take a chance: no negative consequences.”
Escalé brings Iceland’s result into Andorra’s EU debate
Escalé’s comments come as Andorra continues to debate its Association Agreement with the European Union and the potential consequences of Andorran voters eventually rejecting the agreement in a referendum.
His reaction directly challenges the idea that rejecting a process of integration or closer ties with Brussels would necessarily result in negative consequences for a small European country.
Iceland’s situation, however, differs from Andorra’s. Iceland is part of the European Economic Area (EEA) and the Schengen Area, allowing it to participate in much of the European single market without being a full member of the EU. Andorra, by contrast, has negotiated a specific framework through its Association Agreement with the European Union.
Despite these differences, Escalé points to Iceland’s strong commercial dependence on the European market, particularly due to the importance of its fish exports, and argues that even this dependence will not lead to retaliation following the referendum result.
The Icelandic ‘No’ secured 52.5% of the vote, compared with 47.5% for those in favour of continuing to move towards the EU. Among the main arguments put forward by opponents of membership were the defence of national sovereignty and the limited influence that a country of around 408,000 inhabitants would have within the European Union’s institutions.