NORWEGIAN working conditions and its welfare state compare favourably to any EU country.
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| Norway's Mimmi Kvisvik says the country is far better off out of the EU |
Like Britain, Norway also has problems with social dumping linked to the free movement of labour within the Single Market.
But outside the EU, Norway has a large number of tools at our disposal - not available to EU members - that can remedy our situation.
Norwegians voted ‘no’ to the EU in a heated referendum in 1994 – and we are not regretting it.
Quite the opposite.
There has been a rock solid majority against EU membership for more than 10 years.
According to the most recent poll, 72 per cent are opposed to Norwegian membership of the EU, with only 18.1 per cent supporting it and 9.9 per cent undecided.
Norway has experienced unprecedented economic growth since the ‘no’ vote in 1994.
Annual growth in GDP has been significantly higher in Norway than the EU average.
There has been a strong increase in foreign investments in Norway, more than doubling in the last 10 years alone.
For decades, Norway has enjoyed easy access to the EU market.
Since 1994 through the European Free Trade Agreement (EEA) that makes Norway part of the Single Market.
We believe Norway would be even better off by replacing the EEA agreement with a bilateral trade agreement with the EU.
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| Norway voted not to join the EU in 2004 |
The EEA agreement is still very much preferable to EU membership. The EEA agreement encompasses less than 10 percent of EU law making. (Source: EUR-lex and annual EFTA-reports)
The EU is both a single market and a political and economic union.
The EEA agreement includes Norway in the Single Market, but we are still independent from most of the European Union. In addition, and more importantly, Norway still has a sovereign right to refuse the incorporation of new EU legislation.
Norway’s monetary policy is decided BY Norway FOR Norway.
Outside the euro, Norway has used its economic policies to stimulate employment and growth.
The unemployment rate is 4.8 per cent, one of the lowest in Europe.
Norway is not affected by the continuing attempts of the EU to coordinate taxation, and we are free to decide the level of taxes and duties needed to finance our welfare state.
Norway's decision not to join the EU has not changed our internationalist perspective; on the contrary. We are a part of Europe, and the world.
We cooperate with the EU on research and education like any member state. Opposition to EU membership is in the majority in all groups of voters.
Women and young people are most negative to EU membership, and the labour movement has grown even more sceptical to the EU in the last 20 years.
Mimmi Kvisvik is president of the Norwegian Union of Social Educators and Social Workers (FO)
http://www.express.co.uk/comment/expresscomment/673775/Norway-EU-referendum-positive-brexit-UK-vote-MImmi-Kvisvik
