Is it time for Norway to join the EU?
Some members of the Liberal (Venstre) party advocate membership
Photo: Mission of Norway to the EU / flickr, CC BY 2.0
The Norwegian flag flies next to the flag of the European Union outside the EU headquarters in Brussels.
The Local
A number of the Liberal (Venstre) party’s county branches say they are in favor of supporting European Union (EU) membership for Norway.
Following annual conferences held by the party’s county-level groups the first weekend in February, Vestland, Viken, Oslo, Rogaland, Vestfold, and Telemark counties all supported motions to making a Norwegian “yes” to future EU membership a party principle for the Liberals, a junior partner in the coalition government.
Business minister Iselin Nybø, who led the committee that proposed the motion, said that the question of EU membership is likely to dominate the party’s national congress in April.
“The big challenges faced by the world require us to work together to find solutions, and I think the Liberals are ready to look to the EU as the collaborative arena,” Nybø told news agency NTB in a written comment.
But Liberal party leader Trine Skei Grande, who will be running for re-election at the national congress, is opposed to Norwegian EU membership.
A minority in the committee setting forth policy proposals, which includes former leader Odd Einar Dørum, wants to retain the current wording that any future EU membership should be decided via a referendum, NTB reports.
The Liberal party in Møre and Romsdal also had its annual meeting last weekend but did not decide on the EU issue.
This article originally appeared in The Local.
This article originally appeared in the February 21, 2020, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.
