State Secretary Maria Varteressian's speech for EU ambassadors about the EEA

I appreciate the hospitality I received during my travels and bilateral meetings. Many of you have been personally engaged with advice as to whom I should meet and helped arrange the best possible program – for this, I am deeply grateful.

It has been inspiring and valuable not only for me personally, but for Norwegian relations to the EU and bilaterally to the countries I have visited – my team and I are now looking into the travel schedule for the fall. So, please stay tuned for the continuation of my European tour!

During the meetings with my European colleagues, I have had the pleasure of covering a number of topics. Majority of the conversations have revolved around the importance of the collective effort to helping Ukraine prevail against Russia’s war of aggression, the future of Europe and the importance of standing up for core values such as democracy, rule of law and freedom.

Not that I needed convincing, but my numerous visits have highlighted the sense of urgency – on all these fronts. On Ukraine, we do not have a day to lose. Every hour counts. I have heard countless variations of this phrase in your capitals (be it in Vilnius, Paris, Berlin or Prague) - and I agree.  

To quote the title of Estonian PM Kaja Kallas’ recent speech in Paris, “The stakes are high”. I could also quote another recent speech in Paris – one given at the Sorbonne university, and reminding us that our Europe is mortal.

My main message to my colleagues these past six months – both when travelling and when receiving in Oslo has been: in this critical moment, you can count on Norway. We will be there to support our European friends, partners, and allies in needs such as energy security, increased defense cooperation, satellite communication systems and green transition.

We have a lot to offer. So, it is in our common interest to cooperate.

Norway is, as all of you know, EUs closest partner and ally. Beyond any comparison! Although we are not full EU-members, we feel strong connection to the European Union as your closest non-member. We share your ambitions, but we also share your concerns.

The European parliament elections directly impact – and interest us.

So does EU enlargement of course – as all new EU members also join the EEA. And let me just state here and now, that we support the entry into the EU of all countries that fulfil the criteria, not just in words but also in deeds. The European integration project is important for Norway. A more inclusive and cohesive union is also in our interest.

Especially as a complex geopolitical environment is challenging values we all share, our overall security, and our growth and resilience. It is crucial that our connection remains robust, and that our political cooperation through the EEA Agreement stays intact.

At the base of the EEA Agreement is our common commitment to upholding shared values of democracy and the rule of law. We stand united to defend these values – both within the EEA, and externally. Russia’s war against Ukraine is a brutal breach of international law. It is an attack on the values underpinning our European cooperation.

Through the EEA and other mechanisms, Norway has been able to contribute without delay to European efforts to help Ukraine. Together, we boost production of ammunition and encourage joint procurement.

Due to a combination of external and internal factors you know far better than me, we have seen the speed and complexity of the political development in the EU increase to new levels. The EU is developing into a geostrategic actor. We appreciate this enhanced geopolitical role for the EU – and depending on developments in the US, this might become even more important in the future.

But a consequence (unintended!) of these developments is that although Norway is so closely connected to the Single Market and the EU, we see that we all too often fall on the outside.

So, you can count on us, but please do remember to count us in. Because it is in our common interest that Norway is not perceived as a third country. Especially in times like these.

During this spring two important reports have been published. One about the state and development of the European Single Market. Another about the EEA Agreement, focusing on the experience Norway has had with the Agreement for the last ten years.

It makes sense to see these two reports combined. On April 17^th, Enrico Letta, President of the Jacques Delors Institute and former Italian Prime Minister, released his long awaited report titled "Much More Than a Market". This title really sums up what the EU has become. Through managing a variety of challenges and crises the EU has become a key actor on the global stage.

In his report, Enrico Letta highlights the need for a collective effort to redefine the Single Market, engaging stakeholders from across Europe. I was happy to read that EEA/EFTA-states are described as important strategic partners to the EU. As mentioned, Norway has a lot to offer when it comes to cooperation within key areas Mr. Letta mentions: fair green and digital transition, strengthening EU security, and promoting job creation and business ease.

The EEA-agreement gives Norway access to the four freedoms of the Single Market. I therefore read with great interest about the addition of a potential fifth freedom, entailing the enhancement of research, innovation, and education.

With a Norwegian view, reading about the future of the European Union and the Single Market in Mr. Letta’s report is particularly interesting. The timing of his report almost seems coordinated with the publishment of the Review of Norway’s experience of cooperation under the EEA Agreement. The work on writing the report has been led by the Director of the United Federation of Trade Unions (Fellesforbundet), Mrs. Line Eldring. 

The main conclusion of the report is that the EEA agreement has served Norway well for 30 years. Just as Mr. Letta’s report title says, this is about so “Much More Than a Market”.

A lot has changed in Europe and the world around throughout the 30 years after the agreement entered into force. Although the agreement has proved to be highly flexible and adjustable to the changes in the EU, Line Eldring’s report concludes among other things that the EEA Agreement is not entirely adapted to today's EU.

I understand that you will be meeting Line Eldring later today and you will get in depth presentation from her about the conclusions – I am happy to share that Mrs. Eldring invited me to join you at LO when you get the findings of the report presented.

Now I will share with you some thoughts on the politics around, and how we will be following up the recommendations.

As I have shared with you on previous occasions, there has not really been a debate about Norwegian EU-membership since the second referendum concluded in a marginal majority in favor of “no to EU-membership”.

In the time that followed we saw a combination of several factors contributing to the lack of discussion, with the two main being: 1) the EEA Agreement has served its purpose, making it seem almost irrelevant to discuss alternatives, and 2) to put it very frankly: that people got tired of debating after 1994.

With the Eldring-report the situation has changed.

There is now increased focus on the EEA, especially in national media. Minister Eide and I have given several interviews and background conversations with the largest media houses in Norway. And we see that there is increased interest across sectors for more dialogue on the value and challenges of the EEA. I know that Line Eldring herself has been busy travelling around the country to present her work. Only yesterday she participated in tree separate meetings, including one together with me.

There is no hiding from the fact that there are two different views on Norway’s relations with the EU in the Government led by Mr. Jonas Gahr Støre. Hurdalsplattformen is however clear on the importance of the EEA agreement as the backbone of our European cooperation.

The report comes at an important time: the Nordic countries, Europe and the rest of the world are undergoing major changes, and developments in the EU are taking place at a rapidly increasing pace. Thus, if we want the EEA to keep on serving us well, we must work harder to maintain it. So that it is fit for purpose and meets the needs of today.

As it is clearly shown by the report the EEA Agreement offers Norway, Norwegian citizens and businesses a wider range of advantages than other, less binding agreements would provide.

Our government commissioned this report to obtain up-to-date insight into the benefits of the EEA Agreement. (As you know, the latest comparable report was published in 2012). Eldring’s report highlights the impacts on Europe of Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The report makes it clear that the EEA Agreement is essential to safeguard Norway’s relationship with the EU. There was a need for a knowledge-based discussion about Europe, the EU and the EEA. That is precisely what the report provides.

The report will be circulated for comments. But among friends I can share that we have already started going through the committee’s recommendations with a view to safeguarding Norwegian interests as effectively as possible within the framework of the EEA Agreement. At the same time, we strive to increasing the focus on the agreement and the EU within the government.

The main tasks ahead will be to keep up the pace on reducing backlog. This is a major challenge that the government takes seriously. Although the backlog is large, we are managing to reduce it – some areas are moving faster than others. We have managed to reduce the backlog within the finance area substantially, while there are (as I am sure you have heard) some more challenges around energy.

Increased priority and political attention to the work with the EEA Agreement is another recommendation we take very seriously. Together with ensuring enough resources to manage what Foreign Minister Eide often describes as a “regulatory tsunami”, that is key to successfully managing the agreement.

Being a stable and reliable partner to the EU means that we must uphold our part of the EEA Agreement. This is exactly what the government has set out to do. As described in Enrico Letta’s report, the Single Market is changing rapidly. We know that time is of essence – both in terms of reducing the backlog, and of supplementing the EEA Agreement on areas of common interest between the EU and Norway - such as health and security.

To save time, we will not engage in writing a governmental white paper about the recommendations of the committee. Rather, we will get to work on following up.

Thank you for your attention, now I look forward to the discussion.