EU
- On the fringes of the EU
- The Nordics’ relationship with the EU stretches from Denmark joining 50 years ago to Iceland's current renewed debate about reopening accession talks that were never finalised.
- Norwegians still largely negative to EU membership
- It is nearly 30 years since Norwegians voted no to EU membership for the last time – so far. The chances for another referendum are slim.
- Iceland starting to ponder EU membership
- Iceland applied for EU membership in 2009, after the collapse of the banking system almost bankrupted the country. The government at the time, led by the EU-friendly Social Democratic Party, believed membership was vital for financial stability. The Euro was also seen as better than the small and unstable krona.
- How the EEA grant gives Norway influence in the EU
- Norway and Iceland have full access to the EU internal market thanks to the EEA agreement. But they have to pay a fee. Between 2004 and 2021, Norway paid a total of 60 billion Norwegian kroner (€5.3bn) for access. The difference is that the country has a say in what the money is used for, which brings both influence and attention. A new report details what has been achieved.
- The Norwegian civil servant working for Sweden
- In January, Norwegian Finn Ola Jølstad swapped his day job as a senior civil servant at the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion in Oslo for a job at the Swedish Ministry of Employment. His job exchange lasts six months and falls right in the middle of Sweden’s EU Presidency.
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