Norway: Not Ready To Say Yes

Few expected Norwegian Prime Minister Jan Syse’s wobbly coalition to last long, but when the government fell last week it was a matter of genuine concern. At issue was a question that has divided Norwegians for three decades: the country’s relationship with the European Community. The immediate crisis was over trade relations with the E.C., but with that crisis resurfaced the ultimate question of whether Norway should join the Community.

Although Gro Harlem Brundtland, the Labor Party leader and two-time Prime Minister who was forming a new government, has long kept mum on the E.C. question, she will have a tough time sidestepping it for much longer. Within the European Free Trade Association, to which Norway belongs, sentiment for joining the Community is accelerating fast. Last year Austria announced its intention to apply, and Sweden followed suit two weeks ago. Finland is seriously pondering the issue, and a pro-E.C. initiative is gaining ground in Switzerland, the most resolutely standoffish country in the EFTA. Although fears still run high in Norway that the country would lose independence and control of its natural resources, concern is mounting that if everyone else joins up, Oslo could be left out in the cold.