Norway's EU debate re-surfaces

By Lars Bevanger
BBC, Oslo

The Europe debate is well under way again in Norway

As the historic expansion of the European Union edges closer, one Scandinavian country is looking increasingly like the odd one out.

Norway is partially surrounded by EU members, and is effectively a part of the EU single market thanks to its faithful implementation of EU directives as a member of the European Economic Area agreement.

But it is not an EU member state, and the debate on whether to seek full membership has been dead since a second referendum - in 1994 - delivered a No vote by the narrowest of margins.

Now, however, voters seem to have changed their minds.

Opinion polls since the autumn have consistently shown a clear majority in favour, and this is forcing Norway's political parties to take a stand on the issue.

It is a particular problem for Norway's coalition government, made up of the pro-EU Conservatives and the anti-EU Christian Democrats and Liberals.

They have agreed to disagree on the question of EU membership for the term of the current parliament - but that is a situation which is now becoming hard to accept for the Yes side.

"To all true Europeans in Norway I think it's a very frustrating situation," says Eivind Berg, who headed Norway's negotiations to join the Union in 1994.

"The leading pro-EU party in Norway - the Conservative Party - is in a way restricted from taking full part in the discussion. Because if they go for a new application [to join] that would mean an end to the present coalition government."

'United states' rejected

But while the government parties are still cautious about what they say on the matter, Yes and No campaigners have thrown themselves into the fray.

Something historical is happening right now - hundreds of millions of people want to do something which has never happened before: to build a peaceful, unified Europe

Wenche Fossen
Norwegian European Movement,

Olav Boye from the No campaign says Norway must stay out of what he claims is on the way to becoming a United States of Europe, with a centrally elected president and a central budget.

He says Norway's implementation of EU rules is already having a bad effect.

"We see how the European Union rules are destroying our regional policy, so people have to leave the districts and move into the cities, which is a political development we disagree very much with."

REFERENDUM RESULTS

1972 - No: 53.5%

1994 - No: 52.2%

However, Wenche Fossen of the Norwegian European Movement, says if Norway wants to take part in the shaping of the new, enlarged Europe, it must have a seat at the table.

"Something historical is happening right now," she says.

"Hundreds of millions of people want to do something which has never happened before: to build a peaceful, unified Europe."

One-way street

The No side is facing an uphill battle in more than one way. It has lost many of its traditional supporters in coastal and rural areas, and in the north.

The No side has lost support in coastal areas

People no longer believe EU membership would kill off Norway's agriculture and fisheries, and they realise that other international bodies - notably the World Trade Organisation - are having a more dramatic impact on those areas than the EU.

Norway's membership in the European Economic Area means the country is already involved in almost 80% of EU legislation.

But without membership, it is a one-way street.

That weighs heavy on the mind of the Conservative leader, Foreign Minister Jan Petersen.

But he says he has no intention of bringing down the government unless he is sure the Yes side could win a referendum.

"I've been through two referendums before - unsuccessfully - and I certainly do not want to set in motion a process which might end in a third No", Mr Petersen said.

Few in Norway believe Mr Petersen will launch a new drive to get Norway into the EU before the next general election in 2005.

But by that time, the issue is certain to be on everybody's agenda.