Norway's application for EU membership has been frozen, but not withdrawn. It could be resumed at any time following renewed domestic political will. A major issue for Norway is its fishing resources, which are a significant part of the
national economy and which would come under the
Common Fisheries Policy if Norway were to accede to the EU. Norway has high
GNP per capita and would have to pay a high membership fee. The country has a limited amount of agriculture and few underdeveloped areas, which means that Norway would receive little economic support from the EU. However, , Norway has chosen to opt into many EU projects, and since its total financial contribution linked to the EEA agreement consists of contributions related to the participation in these projects, and a part made available to development projects for reducing social and economic disparities in the EU (
EEA and Norway Grants), its participation is on an equal footing with that of
EU member states. The total EEA EFTA commitment is 2.4% of the overall EU programme budget. Because these positions significantly cut across ideological boundaries, various political parties have dealt with the issue differently. The
Centre Party has maintained the most principled stand against membership, and though parties such as the
Norwegian Conservative Party and the
Norwegian Labour Party support membership in their platform, they allow for a minority to oppose it. Most dramatically, the
Norwegian Liberal Party split over the issue in 1972 at the famed party conference in
Røros and did not reunite until 1989. The EU membership issue crosses Norwegian politics's traditional left–right axis. Since the Labour Party lost its dominance in Norwegian politics, all governments have been a coalition of several political parties. Because the issue almost certainly would break up any conceivable government coalition (except perhaps a
grand coalition of Labour and the Conservatives), no government has raised the subject, and no opposition party has stated any desire to do so either. Disagreements on this issue have created divisiveness within families and local communities. Although there is a general pattern that urban communities favour membership and rural communities do not, there have been vocal minorities in every area of Norway. Complicating the matter has been that a great variety of political and emotional factors have been raised in the debate. Opponents of EU membership on the left do so because of opposition to conservative economic and political forces that concern them within Europe; opponents on the right are concerned about an infringement on Norwegian culture; and others are opposed in principle to compromising Norwegian sovereignty. On 9 April 2022,
Governing Mayor of Oslo Raymond Johansen hoped that it was the time for EU membership debate, stating, "The EU is not only our best guarantor of peace and democracy. It is also the best answer we have to many of the challenges facing Norwegian society."
The Greenland crisis and EU accession The
Greenland crisis of 2026 led to renewed calls for EU accession from multiple political parties and major Norwegian newspapers.
The Green Party leader
Arild Hermstad called the government's refusal to open an EU debate "uansvarlig" (irresponsible), arguing that Norway needed a "plan B" beyond NATO given the security situation.
Adresseavisen published a leader article on 6 January 2026 stating that "This is about what is important for Norway. It is a question of our national security. It is irresponsible to pretend otherwise."
Bergens Tidende editorialized on 9 January that Norway "cannot afford to stand alone" and must prepare for "the time after NATO." Incoming
Conservative Party leader
Ine Eriksen Søreide criticized the Labour government's position as "very defensive," stating that "putting a lid on a debate—then I think you are very afraid of knowledge." Conservative MP
Nikolai Astrup wrote in
Aftenposten on 11 January 2026 that "It is time to talk about Norwegian EU membership. Anything else is irresponsible," arguing that Europe must "hang together. The alternative is to be hanged separately."
Norwegian political parties' positions Currently, parties supporting or opposing EU membership are to be found in both right-wing and left-wing coalitions: as a result, most governments contain pro- and anti-EU elements. To avoid further debates concerning EU membership, anti-EU parties usually require "
suicide paragraphs" in government coalition agreements, meaning that if any party in the coalition officially begins a new debate on EU membership, the coalition government will be dissolved. This has been true for both the previous centre-right
Bondevik government and the centre-left
Stoltenberg government.
Opinion polling On average, Norwegian voters oppose Norwegian membership in the European Union. The average polling results since 2022 indicate that around 55% of Norwegian voters oppose EU membership, although the most recent polling has shown this fall under 50% (see below). According to 2023 polling data, most voters remain opposed to EU membership. However, many Norwegians are changing their position on future membership due to the
Russian invasion of Ukraine. This trend has continued and after both opponents and supports of Norwegian EU membership reached the same level of approximately 40%, 63% of Norwegians now say they want another referendum on EU membership. == Norway's foreign relations with EU member states ==