A referendum on joining the European Union was held in Norway on 27 and 28 November 1994.Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1438 After a long period of heated debate, the "no" side won with 52.2 per cent of the vote, on a turnout of 88.6 per cent. Membership of what was then the European Community had previously been rejected in a 1972 referendum, and by French veto in 1962.
, this was the most recent referendum in Norway.
Campaign The "No" campaign was led by Anne Enger Lahnstein, leader of the Centre Party.Biography on Norwegian government's website The main themes of the "No" campaign were loss of sovereignty if Norway should join the Union, as well as the fundamental differences in economic structure between Norway and the EU, as Norway has an economy based heavily on natural resources (especially oil and fish), in contrast to the EU's more industrial economy.
Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland led the "Yes" campaign. Her party, the Labour Party, was divided on the question of Norwegian membership of the Union. Unlike Trygve Bratteli in 1972, she refused to threaten to resign if the referendum failed to result in a "Yes" vote, on the grounds that more serious divisions could have arisen in the Labour Party. The main arguments of the "Yes" side were that as a European country, Norway belonged in the European Union, and that Norway's economy would benefit from membership.
According to John Erik Fossum, a political science professor at ARENA, Centre for European Studies, University of Oslo, "the fact that Norway had already signed the EEA agreement made it easier for people to vote no because they knew that Norway had assured EU market access."
Debates 1994 Norwegian EU membership debates Date Time Organizers Present Invitee Non-invitee ApHSpSvKrFFrpVRRefs 00:00 NRKPGro Harlem Brundtland, Thorbjørn JaglandPJan PetersenPAnne Enger LahnsteinPErik SolheimPKjell Magne BondevikPCarl I. HagenPOdd Einar DørumPAksel NærstadINY 00:00 NRK and Student Society in TrondheimPThorbjørn BerntsenPJohn G. BernanderPMarit ArnstadPErik SolheimNNPRune HaalandPHeidi SørensenSMELO 00:00 NRK at Fokus KinoPGro Harlem BrundtlanPKaci Kullmann FivePJohan J. JakobsenNPKjell Magne BondevikNPTove StrandPYngve HågensenSMEUN 00:00 NRKPThorbjørn JaglandPJan PetersenPAnne Enger LahnsteinPStein ØrnhøiNNPHallvard BakkePThorvald Stoltenberg
Official party positions For a 'Yes' voteFor a 'No' voteConservative Party Labour Party Progress PartyChristian Democratic Party Centre Party Socialist Left Party Liberal Party Red Electoral Alliance Workers' Communist Party
Results Countrywide
By constituency ConstituencyElectorateSpoilt votesTotal poll (%)Yes (%)No (%)Østfold307Akershus443Oslo497Hedmark215Oppland251Buskerud240Vestfold123Telemark106Aust-Agder68Vest-Agder58Rogaland166Hordaland244Sogn og Fjordane52Møre og Romsdal178Sør-Trøndelag239Nord-Trøndelag50Nordland226Troms57Finnmark51Source: Dataset European Election Database
See also Norway–European Union relations
References
External links The European Movement in Norway No to the EU - Norwegian eurosceptics Norway. EU Referendum 1994, Electoral Geography 2.0 website