https://sputnikglobe.com/20230406/norwegian-opposition-leader-rekindles-nations-eu-debate-1109186963.html
Norwegian Opposition Leader Rekindles Nation's EU Debate
Norwegian Opposition Leader Rekindles Nation's EU Debate
Sputnik International
Historically, Norway declined membership in the pan-European bloc three times, and polls suggests a continued strong opposition.
2023-04-06T07:06+0000
2023-04-06T07:06+0000
2023-04-12T17:15+0000
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Former Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Erna Solberg has reignited the debate over whether Norway should join the EU, which has been largely suppressed for years, including during her own watch, that lasted for nearly a decade. Solberg personally and her party at large have always been in favor of EU membership, yet she chose not to push the issue during her two terms in power. Interest briefly surged during Solberg’s second term in power, following the decision by the Norwegian Nobel Committee to award a Peace Prize to the EU in 2012, but to no avail.However, according to her own recent book, she was persuaded into a "reawakening" on this matter by fellow Conservatives, including the younger generation. According to Solberg, the COVID pandemic became yet another eye-opener that showed how vulnerable Norway, a nation of 5.4 million, can be on its own.She also cited a more protectionist stance from the US and its Inflation Reduction Act and stressed that solutions to these questions may be found within the framework of the EU.The yes-side in the EU debate gained traction following the start of the Ukrainian conflict in 2022, with the share of Norwegians supporting EU membership rising to 35 percent and even above 40 percent in some polls, the highest in years, yet was still outnumbered by opponents. Since then, the support has declined, falling below 30 percent in recent polls.Norway's political landscape is more fractured on this issue. Labor, the dominant party in recent decades, which produced such European politicians as current NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and former Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland, was in favor of joining the EU in 1994 and many assume that it still is. However, its current leader and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store refrains from statements for the sake of government unity, as his own finance minister and Center party leader Trygve Vedum Slagsvold is a staunch EU opponent.The Reds and the Progress Party, which sit on the opposite sides of the political spectrum, are united in their opposition to EU, joined by the Socialist Left. The Greens, another junior party that may play a role in forming government coalitions, is, on the other hand, pro-EU.As of now, Norway is associated with the EU through its membership of the European Economic Area (EEA), signed in 1992 and established in 1994. Norway was a founding member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 1960, originally set up as an alternative to the European Economic Community (EEC), the main predecessor of the EU.
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Norwegian Opposition Leader Rekindles Nation's EU Debate
07:06 GMT 06.04.2023 (Updated: 17:15 GMT 12.04.2023) Despite Norway having declined membership in the pan-European bloc three times over the years and polls suggesting a consistently strong opposition, the idea of joining the EU still hovers across the nation's political landscape.
Former Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Erna Solberg has reignited the debate over whether Norway should join the EU, which has been largely suppressed for years, including during her own watch, that lasted for nearly a decade.
"Norway’s place in Europe is at the table, together with our closest allies, together with other democracies," Solberg said during her Conservative Party's recent annual meeting. She also voiced ambitions to retake the prime minister's post she had previously lost to Labor leader Jonas Gahr Store.
Previously, Norway declined membership in the pan-European bloc not once, not twice but three times. It refused to join the early European Community in the early 1960s and held a referendum over it in 1972. Finally, it has been nearly 30 years since the last referendum on EU membership, when a majority of Norwegians said no to joining the bloc back in 1994.
Solberg personally and her party at large have always been in favor of EU membership, yet she chose not to push the issue during her two terms in power. Interest briefly surged during Solberg’s second term in power, following the decision by the Norwegian Nobel Committee to award a Peace Prize to the EU in 2012, but to no avail.
However, according to her own recent book, she was persuaded into a "reawakening" on this matter by fellow Conservatives, including the younger generation. According to Solberg, the COVID pandemic became yet another eye-opener that showed how
vulnerable Norway, a nation of 5.4 million, can be
on its own.
"We can't always expect that we'll be included in everything when we're outside the EU," Solberg told Norwegian media.
She also cited a more protectionist stance from the US and its Inflation Reduction Act and stressed that solutions to these questions may be found within the framework of the EU.
The yes-side in the EU debate gained traction following the start of the Ukrainian conflict in 2022, with the share of Norwegians supporting EU membership rising to 35 percent and even above 40 percent in some polls, the highest in years, yet was still outnumbered by opponents. Since then, the support has declined, falling below 30 percent in recent polls.
Norway's political landscape is more fractured on this issue. Labor, the dominant party in recent decades, which produced such European politicians as current NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and former Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland, was in favor of joining the EU in 1994 and many assume that it still is. However, its current leader and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store refrains from statements for the sake of government unity, as his own finance minister and Center party leader Trygve Vedum Slagsvold is a staunch EU opponent.
The Reds and the Progress Party, which sit on the opposite sides of the political spectrum, are united in their opposition to EU, joined by the Socialist Left. The Greens, another junior party that may play a role in forming government coalitions, is, on the other hand, pro-EU.
As of now, Norway is associated with the EU through its membership of the European Economic Area (EEA), signed in 1992 and established in 1994. Norway was a founding member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 1960, originally set up as an alternative to the European Economic Community (EEC), the main predecessor of the EU.
