Norway and the European Union
Encyclopedia
Norway
is not a member state
of the European Union
(EU), but is closely associated with the Union through its membership in the European Economic Area
(EEA), in the context of being a European Free Trade Association
(EFTA) member.
while the country is to adopt most EU legislation related to that market. Additionally, Norway is a part of the Schengen Area
, and has been granted participation rights (save voting rights) in several of the Union's programmes, bodies and initiatives. These include the European Defence Agency
, the Nordic Battle Group, Frontex
, Europol
and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction
. Whether or not the country should apply for full membership has been one of the most dominant and divisive issues in modern Norwegian political debate.
In 1962, Norway
, the United Kingdom
, Denmark
and Ireland
applied for membership in the European Economic Community
(EEC). When France
rebuffed UK's application the next year, accession negotiations with Norway and the other countries were also suspended, because of strong economic ties between them. This happened again in 1967.
Norway completed its negotiations for the terms to govern a Norwegian membership in the EEC on 22 January 1972. Following an overwhelming parliamentary majority in favour of joining the EEC in early 1972, the government decided to put the question to a popular referendum
, scheduled for September 24 and 25. The result was that 53.5% voted against membership and 46.5% for it. The Norwegian Labour Party
government led by Trygve Bratteli
resigned over the outcome of the referendum, and a coalition government led by Lars Korvald
took over.
Norway entered into a trade agreement with the community following the outcome of the referendum. That trade agreement remained in force until Norway joined the European Economic Area
in 1994.
On 28 November 1994, yet another referendum was held, narrowing the margin but yielding the same result: 52.2% opposed membership and 47.8% in favour, with a turn-out of 88.6%. There are currently no plans to file another application.
As of 2009, Norway has chosen to opt into EU projects and its total financial contribution linked to the EEA agreement consists of contributions related to the participation in these projects (Schengen Agreement
, Europol
, EU Drug Monitoring Centre
, Frontex
, the European Defence Agency
and the Union's battlegroups
) and part made available to development projects for reducing social and economic disparities in the EU (EEA and Norway Grants
). EEA EFTA states fund their participation in programmes and agencies by an amount corresponding to the relative size of their gross domestic product (GDP) compared to the GDP of the whole EEA. The EEA EFTA
participation is hence on an equal footing with EU member states. The total EEA EFTA commitment amounts to 2.4% of the overall EU programme budget. In 2008 Norway’s contribution was €188 million. Throughout the programme period 2007—2013, the Norwegian contribution will increase substantially in parallel with the development of the EU programme budget, from €130 million in 2007 to €290 million in 2013. For the EEA and Norway Grants from 2004 to 2009, Norway provided almost €1.3 billion.
has maintained the most principled stand against membership, and though parties such as the Conservative Party
and the Labour Party support membership in their platform, they allow for a minority to oppose it. Most dramatically, the Liberal Party
split over the issue in 1972 at the famed party conference in Røros
and did not reunite until 1989.
The EU membership crosses the traditional left-right axis in Norwegian politics. Since the Labour Party lost its dominance in Norwegian politics, all governments have been a coalition of several political parties. Because the EU membership issue almost certainly would break up any conceivable government coalition (except maybe a rainbow coalition of Labour and the Conservatives), no government has raised the subject and no opposition party has stated any desire to do so either.
Disagreements on this issue have been known to create divisiveness within families and local communities. Although there is a general pattern that urban communities favour membership and rural communities do not, there have been vocal minorities in every area of Norway.
Complicating the matter has been that a great variety of political and emotional factors have been raised in the debate. Radical socialists oppose membership because of an opposition to conservative economic and political forces that concern them within Europe; opponents on the right are concerned about an infringement on Norwegian culture; and others are opposed in principle to compromising Norwegian sovereignty.
Many observers felt that the Centre Party misread the situation when they interpreted the narrow majority against membership in 1994 as an endorsement of the party's general platform. Party politics continue to be confounded by this issue, and most governments tend to avoid it.
s" in government-coalition agreements, meaning that if some party in the coalition officially begins a new debate on EU, the government will fall. This has been true for both the previous centre-right Bondevik
government and the current centre-left Stoltenberg
government. The last general elections (2009) saw an increase in support for the two pro-European parties: the Labour Party (Government) and the Conservative Party (opposition), whereas the Eurosceptical parties (both in the governing coalition and in the opposition) stagnated. The following table shows the different parliamentary parties' stance on EU-membership, sorted by their approval rating in the latest election (separated only by government and opposition parties):
In 2010, according to Aftenposten
, opposition against the European Union had not been as strong in Norway since 1993, based on poll figures. In July 2010, polls showed that most voters of even the Conservative Party, traditionally the most EU-supportive party in Norway, were also against Norwegian membership. Thus, the majority of voters for all parties were opposed to Norwegian membership at that time.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
is not a member state
Member State of the European Union
A member state of the European Union is a state that is party to treaties of the European Union and has thereby undertaken the privileges and obligations that EU membership entails. Unlike membership of an international organisation, being an EU member state places a country under binding laws in...
of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
(EU), but is closely associated with the Union through its membership in the European Economic Area
European Economic Area
The European Economic Area was established on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between the member states of the European Free Trade Association and the European Community, later the European Union . Specifically, it allows Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to participate in the EU's Internal...
(EEA), in the context of being a European Free Trade Association
European Free Trade Association
The European Free Trade Association or EFTA is a free trade organisation between four European countries that operates parallel to, and is linked to, the European Union . EFTA was established on 3 May 1960 as a trade bloc-alternative for European states who were either unable to, or chose not to,...
(EFTA) member.
Trade
Norway's trade is dominated by the EU and Norway is the EU's 4th most important import partner. Norway to EU trade amounted to €91.85 billion in 2008, primarily energy supplies (only 14.1% is manufactured products). The EU's exports to Norway amounted to €43.58 billion, primarily manufactured products.European Economic Area
The EEA agreement grants Norway access to the EU's single marketSingle market
A single market is a type of trade bloc which is composed of a free trade area with common policies on product regulation, and freedom of movement of the factors of production and of enterprise and services. The goal is that the movement of capital, labour, goods, and services between the members...
while the country is to adopt most EU legislation related to that market. Additionally, Norway is a part of the Schengen Area
Schengen Area
The Schengen Area comprises the territories of twenty-five European countries that have implemented the Schengen Agreement signed in the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, in 1985...
, and has been granted participation rights (save voting rights) in several of the Union's programmes, bodies and initiatives. These include the European Defence Agency
European Defence Agency
The European Defence Agency is an agency of the European Union based in Brussels. It is a Common Foreign and Security Policy body set up on 12 July 2004, reporting to the Council of the European Union. All EU member states, except Denmark which has an opt-out of the CFSP, take part in the agency...
, the Nordic Battle Group, Frontex
Frontex
Frontex is the European Union agency for external border security...
, Europol
Europol
Europol is the European Union's criminal intelligence agency. It became fully operational on 1 July 1999....
and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction is an agency of the European Union. Established in 1993, the EMCDDA is located in Lisbon, Portugal.-Mission and role:...
. Whether or not the country should apply for full membership has been one of the most dominant and divisive issues in modern Norwegian political debate.
History
- See also Norwegian EC referendum, 1972Norwegian EC referendum, 1972A referendum on whether Norway should join the European Community was held on 25 September 1972. After a long period of heated debate, the "No" side won with 53.5 per cent of the vote. Prime Minister Trygve Bratteli resigned as a result of the defeat...
and Norwegian EU referendum, 1994Norwegian EU referendum, 1994A referendum on whether Norway should join the European Union was held on 28 November 1994. After a long period of heated debate, the "No" side won with 52.2 per cent of the vote, on a turnout of 88.6 per cent...
In 1962, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
applied for membership in the European Economic Community
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
(EEC). When France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
rebuffed UK's application the next year, accession negotiations with Norway and the other countries were also suspended, because of strong economic ties between them. This happened again in 1967.
Norway completed its negotiations for the terms to govern a Norwegian membership in the EEC on 22 January 1972. Following an overwhelming parliamentary majority in favour of joining the EEC in early 1972, the government decided to put the question to a popular referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
, scheduled for September 24 and 25. The result was that 53.5% voted against membership and 46.5% for it. The Norwegian Labour Party
Norwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
government led by Trygve Bratteli
Trygve Bratteli
was a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party and Prime Minister of Norway in 1971–1972 and 1973–1976.-Early life and career:...
resigned over the outcome of the referendum, and a coalition government led by Lars Korvald
Lars Korvald
was a Norwegian politician from the Christian Democratic Party. He was Prime Minister of Norway from 1972 to 1973, leading the cabinet that took over when Trygve Bratteli resigned in the wake of the first referendum over Norway's membership in the European Economic Community.-Early life and...
took over.
Norway entered into a trade agreement with the community following the outcome of the referendum. That trade agreement remained in force until Norway joined the European Economic Area
European Economic Area
The European Economic Area was established on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between the member states of the European Free Trade Association and the European Community, later the European Union . Specifically, it allows Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to participate in the EU's Internal...
in 1994.
On 28 November 1994, yet another referendum was held, narrowing the margin but yielding the same result: 52.2% opposed membership and 47.8% in favour, with a turn-out of 88.6%. There are currently no plans to file another application.
As of 2009, Norway has chosen to opt into EU projects and its total financial contribution linked to the EEA agreement consists of contributions related to the participation in these projects (Schengen Agreement
Schengen Agreement
The Schengen Agreement is a treaty signed on 14 June 1985 near the town of Schengen in Luxembourg, between five of the ten member states of the European Economic Community. It was supplemented by the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement 5 years later...
, Europol
Europol
Europol is the European Union's criminal intelligence agency. It became fully operational on 1 July 1999....
, EU Drug Monitoring Centre
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction is an agency of the European Union. Established in 1993, the EMCDDA is located in Lisbon, Portugal.-Mission and role:...
, Frontex
Frontex
Frontex is the European Union agency for external border security...
, the European Defence Agency
European Defence Agency
The European Defence Agency is an agency of the European Union based in Brussels. It is a Common Foreign and Security Policy body set up on 12 July 2004, reporting to the Council of the European Union. All EU member states, except Denmark which has an opt-out of the CFSP, take part in the agency...
and the Union's battlegroups
European Union Battlegroups
An EU Battlegroup is a military unit adhering to the Common Security and Defence Policy of the European Union . Often based on contributions from a coalition of member states, each of the eighteen Battlegroups consists of a battalion-sized force reinforced with combat support elements...
) and part made available to development projects for reducing social and economic disparities in the EU (EEA and Norway Grants
EEA and Norway Grants
The EEA Grants and Norway Grants are the financial contributions of Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein towards the reduction of economic and social disparities in the European Economic Area and to strengthen bilateral relations with 15 EU and EEA Member States in Central and Southern Europe.-...
). EEA EFTA states fund their participation in programmes and agencies by an amount corresponding to the relative size of their gross domestic product (GDP) compared to the GDP of the whole EEA. The EEA EFTA
European Free Trade Association
The European Free Trade Association or EFTA is a free trade organisation between four European countries that operates parallel to, and is linked to, the European Union . EFTA was established on 3 May 1960 as a trade bloc-alternative for European states who were either unable to, or chose not to,...
participation is hence on an equal footing with EU member states. The total EEA EFTA commitment amounts to 2.4% of the overall EU programme budget. In 2008 Norway’s contribution was €188 million. Throughout the programme period 2007—2013, the Norwegian contribution will increase substantially in parallel with the development of the EU programme budget, from €130 million in 2007 to €290 million in 2013. For the EEA and Norway Grants from 2004 to 2009, Norway provided almost €1.3 billion.
Membership debate
Because these positions to a great extent cut across ideological boundaries, various political parties have dealt with the issue in different ways. The Centre PartyCentre Party (Norway)
The Centre Party is a centrist and agrarian political party in Norway, founded in 1920. The Centre Party's policy is not based on any of the major ideologies of the 19th and 20th century, but has a focus on maintaining decentralised economic development and political decision-making.From its...
has maintained the most principled stand against membership, and though parties such as the Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Norway
The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s...
and the Labour Party support membership in their platform, they allow for a minority to oppose it. Most dramatically, the Liberal Party
Venstre (Norway)
The Liberal Party is a centrist liberal political party in Norway. The party is the oldest in the country, and has enacted reforms such as parliamentarism, freedom of religion, universal suffrage and free education. Since 2010, the leader of the party is Trine Skei Grande...
split over the issue in 1972 at the famed party conference in Røros
Røros
is a town and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Gauldalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Røros. Other villages include Brekken, Glåmos, Feragen, Galåa, and Hitterdalen....
and did not reunite until 1989.
The EU membership crosses the traditional left-right axis in Norwegian politics. Since the Labour Party lost its dominance in Norwegian politics, all governments have been a coalition of several political parties. Because the EU membership issue almost certainly would break up any conceivable government coalition (except maybe a rainbow coalition of Labour and the Conservatives), no government has raised the subject and no opposition party has stated any desire to do so either.
Disagreements on this issue have been known to create divisiveness within families and local communities. Although there is a general pattern that urban communities favour membership and rural communities do not, there have been vocal minorities in every area of Norway.
Complicating the matter has been that a great variety of political and emotional factors have been raised in the debate. Radical socialists oppose membership because of an opposition to conservative economic and political forces that concern them within Europe; opponents on the right are concerned about an infringement on Norwegian culture; and others are opposed in principle to compromising Norwegian sovereignty.
Many observers felt that the Centre Party misread the situation when they interpreted the narrow majority against membership in 1994 as an endorsement of the party's general platform. Party politics continue to be confounded by this issue, and most governments tend to avoid it.
Norwegian political parties' positions
Currently, parties supporting or opposing EU membership are to be found in both right-wing and left-wing coalitions: as a result, most governments contain pro- and anti-EU elements. To avoid a new debate on EU, anti-EU parties usually require "suicide paragraphSuicide paragraph
A suicide paragraph , sometimes referred to as a suicide clause, is an important term in politics of Norway. It is a part of the formal agreements between political parties about to form a coalition government...
s" in government-coalition agreements, meaning that if some party in the coalition officially begins a new debate on EU, the government will fall. This has been true for both the previous centre-right Bondevik
Kjell Magne Bondevik
Kjell Magne Bondevik is a Norwegian Lutheran minister and politician . He served as Prime Minister of Norway from 1997 to 2000, and from 2001 to 2005, making him Norway's longest serving non-Labour Party Prime Minister since World War II...
government and the current centre-left Stoltenberg
Jens Stoltenberg
is a Norwegian politician, leader of the Norwegian Labour Party and the current Prime Minister of Norway. Having assumed office on 17 October 2005, Stoltenberg previously served as Prime Minister from 2000 to 2001....
government. The last general elections (2009) saw an increase in support for the two pro-European parties: the Labour Party (Government) and the Conservative Party (opposition), whereas the Eurosceptical parties (both in the governing coalition and in the opposition) stagnated. The following table shows the different parliamentary parties' stance on EU-membership, sorted by their approval rating in the latest election (separated only by government and opposition parties):
| Group | Party | Pos. | Main argument as stated on party websites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government Government Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized... |
Labour Party Norwegian Labour Party The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway.... |
"Cooperation; influence in EU decisions." | |
| Socialist Left Party Socialist Left Party (Norway) The Socialist Left Party or SV, is a Norwegian left-wing political party. At one point one of the smallest parties in Parliament, it became the fourth-largest political party in Norway for the first time in the 2001 parliamentary election, and has been so ever since... |
"Lack of democracy; too much focus on liberal trade." | ||
| Centre Party Centre Party (Norway) The Centre Party is a centrist and agrarian political party in Norway, founded in 1920. The Centre Party's policy is not based on any of the major ideologies of the 19th and 20th century, but has a focus on maintaining decentralised economic development and political decision-making.From its... |
"EU does not reduce economic differences, and does not strengthen democracy" |
||
| Opposition Opposition (politics) In politics, the opposition comprises one or more political parties or other organized groups that are opposed to the government , party or group in political control of a city, region, state or country... |
Progress Party Progress Party (Norway) The Progress Party is a political party in Norway which identifies as conservative liberal and libertarian. The media has described it as conservative and right-wing populist... |
Will stay neutral; pledges to respect any referendum result | |
| Conservative Party Conservative Party of Norway The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s... |
"Peace; stability; solidarity; influence" | ||
| Christian Democratic Party | "EEA European Economic Area The European Economic Area was established on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between the member states of the European Free Trade Association and the European Community, later the European Union . Specifically, it allows Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to participate in the EU's Internal... is good enough, independence" |
||
| Liberal Party | Pledges to respect any referendum result; "Not time for EU-debate" |
Opinion polling
The average of opinion polls shows that besides a period of favoring EU-membership around the years 2003-2004, with the greatest support for EU-membership exploding around late 2002/early 2003 with 60-65% favoring membership for some months, the "No"-side has generally been in the lead for the last years. From 2005 onwards, the eurosceptics have also enjoyed a steady increase in support, with, on average, over 60% not wanting EU-membership in the latest polls. One polling firm in April 2009 also stated that it had now seen a "No" majority for 50 months in a row. The Financial crisis of 2007-2010, which Norway went through relatively well, has strengthened the "No"-side.In 2010, according to Aftenposten
Aftenposten
Aftenposten is Norway's largest newspaper. It retook this position in 2010, taking it from the tabloid Verdens Gang which had been the largest newspaper for several decades. It is based in Oslo. The morning edition, which is distributed across all of Norway, had a circulation of 250,179 in 2007...
, opposition against the European Union had not been as strong in Norway since 1993, based on poll figures. In July 2010, polls showed that most voters of even the Conservative Party, traditionally the most EU-supportive party in Norway, were also against Norwegian membership. Thus, the majority of voters for all parties were opposed to Norwegian membership at that time.
| Date | Conductor | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-09 | Sentio | 37% | 38% |
| 2005-06 | Sentio | 36% | 51% |
| 2006-05 | Respons | 45% | 55% |
| 2006-09 | Respons | 45% | 55% |
| 2006-11 | Respons | 41% | 59% |
| 2007-04 | Respons | 45% | 55% |
| 2007-11 | Respons | 42% | 58% |
| 2008-05 | Respons | 40% | 60% |
| 2008-12 | Sentio | 37.5% | 50.7% |
| 2009-01 | Sentio | 32.5% | 52.8% |
| 2009-02 | Sentio | 35.1% | 54.7% |
| 2009-03 | Sentio | 33% | 54.9% |
| 2009-04 | Sentio | 34.9% | 53.3% |
| 2009-05 | Respons | 42% | 58% |
| 2009-05 | Norstat | 38.6% | 49% |
| 2009-06 | Norstat | 40.6% | 50.3% |
| 2009-09 | Sentio | 35% | 52.2% |
| 2009-10 | Sentio | 41.4% | 45.6% |
| 2009-11 | Sentio | 42% | 58% |
| 2010-02 | Sentio | 33% | 53.4% |
| 2010-04 | Sentio | 36.3% | 50.1% |
| 2010-05 | Norstat | 32.3% | 55% |
| 2010-05 | Sentio | 30.3% | 56.9% |
| 2010-05 | Respons | 26% | 62% |
| 2010-07 | Sentio | 25.3% | 66.1% |
| 2010-07 | Norstat | 25% | 66% |
| 2010-08 | Sentio | 26% | 62% |
| 2010-09 | Sentio | 24.9% | 64.9% |
| 2011-01 | Sentio | 22.5% | 65.9% |
| 2011-05 | Respons | 29% | 71% |
| 2011-07 | Sentio | 17.1% | 73.4% |
| 2011-07 | Sentio | 20.1% | 68.8% |
| 2011-10 | Sentio | 18.6% | 70.8% |
| 2011-10 | Synovate | 12% | 72% |
See also
- Enlargement of the European UnionEnlargement of the European UnionThe Enlargement of the European Union is the process of expanding the European Union through the accession of new member states. This process began with the Inner Six, who founded the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952...
- Accession of Iceland to the European Union
- Greenland – European Union relations
NGOs related to the question of membership
- www.jasiden.no The European MovementEuropean MovementThe European Movement International is a lobbying association that coordinates the efforts of associations and national councils with the goal of promoting European integration, and disseminating information about it.-History:...
in Norway - www.europeiskungdom.no European Youth in NorwayJEF NorwayJEF Norway is the Norwegian chapter of Young European Federalists. It has 1,300 members, and consists of the national board , the executive board , regional chapters and local chapters....
- www.neitileu.no The euroscepticEuroScepticEuroSceptic is the second album of British singer Jack Lucien. It was released in October 2009.Due to being an album influenced by Europop, it features songs with parts in different languages...
s - www.umeu.no Youth against the EU