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A dispute over the EU energy policy has led to the collapse of the Norway coalition government, just like the threats of US President Donald Trump, to impose tariffs and take over Greenland, again demonstrated a debate about Oslo to the Bloc.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre to implement three I energy The guidelines led to the abroad on Thursday to the abroad of the Euroceptical partner of his party, the Pro-Farmer Center Party. The collapse of the coalition has the Labor party of the Prime Minister rule until the elections later this year.
“We can no longer give away the EU,” said Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, leader of the Center Party and Norway’s finance minister.
Both coalition parties in the past few weeks have vose resist of Norway’s exertion of electricity with Denmark, which affects the concern throughout Europe through the perceived energy nationalism.
Norway, one of the richest countries in Europe thanks to its abundant oil and gas reserves as well as plenty of hydropower, is not part of the EU, but assumes most of the blocks of the block due to its membership in the European Economic Economics. The three standing guidelines concern renewable energies, energy efficiency and the energy performance of buildings.
The friction between Oslo and Brussels has increased in recent years. Many EU countries believed that Norway, with its hydropower, had to be more generous and do not threaten to avoid power through the intercontectors to Denmark, Great Britain and Germany.
“We are not satisfied with Norway. The feeling is as bad as I knew it. Norway looks selfish and tries to keep this electricity for itself, even if it earns so much money when we sell gasoline to ourselves, ”said an EU ambassador in Oslo recently.
The situation is complicated by Trump’s return as US President. Some high -ranking personalities in SaveThe Labor Party believes that Norway has to strengthen its connections to the EU in order not to be isolated if the USA places tariffs on Europe.
Støre said on Thursday that his government had no plans to implement the other five parts of the EU’s Clean Energy package from the EU that refer to the electricity market and to keep the Oslo on a possible collision course with Brussels. The European Commission gave Norway to implement the package by May.
Others were unsettled by Trump’s renewed urge to acquire Greenland from Denmark and believed that it could have consequences for the Norwegian Arctic Island of Svalbard, where Russia has its own settlement.
Norway rejected the EU membership in an EU referendum in 1994 and only left it in the EEA, a position that some mocked in Oslo to take over the rules of the block without having any say. Opinion surveys indicate that the majority of Norwegians are still against membership.
“It would require a real shock, perhaps something of Trump to restart the EU debate here,” said a high -ranking Labor Party number of the 30th anniversary of the referendum in November last year.
Parliamentary elections in Norway are determined on the date, which means that it is likely that the Labor Party will try to continue as a single minority government by September 8th. Some experts said, paradoxically, the government could make this stronger because it could address the parties throughout the political spectrum to take measures, including the EU guidelines.
