Norwegians Rethink Relationship With EU as UK Shows the Way

This week, Norway marked the 25th anniversary of its trade deal with the EU (then called the EEA agreement), but no big celebration was held to mark the occasion. Instead, Norwegians are growing increasingly skeptical about the deal, with half of the population open for a new referendum in order to amend the deal or scrap it altogether.

When then-Labor Trade Minister Bjørn Tore Godal signed the EEA Agreement in 1992, it split the Norwegian nation. Someone considered the agreement to be a lasting alternative to full EU membership. Others looked at it as an intermediary for a "proper" EU membership, while still others believed it to be utterly undemocratic and demanded a referendum. Today, many Norwegians remain skeptical about the divisive deal with the EU.

A total of 47 percent of Norwegians want to have a say on the EU trade deal, which was made in 1992, a recent survey conducted by pollster Sentio on behalf of the anti-EU organization Nei til EU ("No to the EU") revealed. Only 20 percent saw no reason to put the EEA agreement on the ballot, while 33 percent of Norwegians were unsure, the Norwegian newspaper Klassekampen reported.

According to Nei til EU leader Kathrine Kleveland, it was high time to replace the EEA with a less extensive trade agreement.

"More than 150 countries sell their goods to the EU. Most of them don't need to change their legislation or breach tariff agreements; we do. Since we are mutually dependent, I do not think the EU will put obstacles in our way," Kathrine Kleveland told Klassekampen.

At present, interest in actually joining the EU remains low in Norway. The ruling Conservative Party, which is part of the coalition government, is the only party that is openly pushing for full EU membership. Most Norwegian politicians agree that the trade deal with the EU is important and provides Norway access to the EU's inner market. However, the EEA deal has always remained controversial, since Norway is forced to pay large sums of money to gain that access and is also forced to comply with EU regulations, without actually having a voice of its own within the EU.

Incidentally, the Conservatives' government partner, the Progress Party, wants to renegotiate parts of the EEA deal, which has been a pain in the neck for Conservative EU Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen who called it "hopeless" and "irresponsible" to demand changes right now.

"The agreement guarantees Norwegian companies, workers and students rights equal to 500 million other Europeans," Frank Bakke-Jensen told the Norwegian newspaper Dagsavisen. "It is not in our plans to hold a referendum on the EEA agreement," Bakke-Jensen said, noting that it was democratically approved and enjoyed 75 percent support in parliament. Also, a major 2012 evaluation of the EEA pact indicated it's been an economic success for Norway.

Dagens Næringsliv columnist Kjetil Wiedswang wrote that only now could Norway possibly find new options to the "pay, obey and no say" deal it currently has with the EU. According to Wiedswang, the UK's negotiations with the EU over its pending withdrawal from the union may provide Norway with previously unconsidered alternatives, provided that London makes requests that Oslo did not dare to make in 1992.

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