Cannot replace EEA – VG

Trade and Industry Minister Iselin Nybø (V) and officials from various ministries have also scoured the 1246 pages of the agreement, looking for consequences for Norway, advantages and disadvantages.

– It was good that the British reached an agreement, because the alternative had been much worse. But there is nothing in the deal that can replace what we have in the EEA, Eriksen Søreide tells VG.

The deal between the EU and the UK on Brexit, Britain’s exit from the EU, wasn’t ready until Christmas Eve. January 1, membership ended.

– As the EU’s chief negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, said in a digital meeting on Tuesday: For the first time, the EU has negotiated a free trade agreement in which the aim was to establish trade barriers and not bring down anyone , Eriksen Søreide.

Rip – connect

– But if you compare the Brexit agreement with the EEA, which one is better? Can the British now decide for themselves?

– Brexit is an agreement to free itself from the internal market. While the EEA was created to connect us with the domestic market. I respect Britain leaving the EU. It was his choice. But the British must now relate to the EU member states as third countries. This applies to both trade in goods and trade in services. It is estimated that they will lose four percent of their finances over time due to Brexit, he says.

Now come the consequences of Brexit

Control of labor immigration

– But have the British gotten any benefit from the trade deal? Do they have control of labor immigration themselves?

– Yes, and that was one of the most important British arguments to leave. For Norway, restrictions on labor immigration would not be an advantage, on the contrary, it would be a great disadvantage for our business community. Another downside is that new students no longer receive an automatically approved education, says Iselin Nybø.

– Could Norway ask for negotiations with the EU on a trade agreement and then compare with the EEA before we make a decision?

Eriksen Søreide flatly rejects this possibility:

– That’s not how it works. In that case, we first had to terminate the EEA agreement. A comparison with what the UK has achieved in the Brexit deal, at least, gives us no arguments to prove this. And I don’t see any reason why we should do that either, as long as the EEA agreement serves Norwegian interests so well.

Surprised

– We were surprised that the Center Party already on Christmas Day thought that the Brexit deal was perfect for Norway, says the Foreign Minister.

He suspects that Sp had not received the agricultural part with zero customs and no quotas.

– In other words, this agreement would not provide any opportunity to protect Norwegian agricultural products, he says.

– Polls show that the majority of Sp voters are in favor of the EEA deal. They might see the practicalities and benefits of, for example, having access to foreign labor, Nybø says.

Ask about the free trade agreement with the British: – We have no cheese to give you!

Delay the fish

– Everyone can see now how difficult it is to exit the internal market after so many years. Scottish fish exporters have already experienced this: fish has been delayed considerably due to veterinary control requirements, among other things, says Eriksen Søreide.

– But now they can at least decide for themselves on their own regulations?

– Yes. they can make their own rules. But the UK has lost the right to influence, inter alia, through the Commission, while we have full access to it in the EEA agreement. And: The Brexit deal gives the UK much worse access to the EU market than it had as a member of the EU.

– Yes, and what happens to the 150,000 small companies that export what they mainly produce to the EU is not very clear, says Nybø.

Q: Not perfect for Norway

Marit Arnstad, Sp’s parliamentary leader, says the government is intimidating when it doubts that Norway will not be able to export goods to the EU if the EEA deal ends:

– The Center Party has stated that Brexit updates a study on alternatives to the EEA, not that Brexit is “perfect for Norway”. With a free trade agreement until 1993 and the EEA, Norway has had free trade with the EU, Arnstad writes in an email to VG.

– Certainly hard to see for EU supporters, but Brexit brings back democracy for the nation state. Britain is no longer automatically subject to EU rules, silly as we think they are. They are not subject to the EU legal system or to the supervision of the EU, which has direct authority over Norwegian companies and the Storting, it adds.

A: I don’t want a Brexit deal

SV Vice President Torgeir Knag Fylkesnes says it is too early to be sure how the Brexit deal will turn out:

– Time will tell the success of the agreement between the UK and the EU. Søreide is not witnessing the truth here, because he just wants Norway to join the EU as soon as possible, he tells VG in a comment.

– SV doesn’t want the Brexit deal anyway, and we’ve generally been critical of important aspects of the right-wing Brexit movement. But at the same time, some aspects of the Brexit deal are also of interest to Norway. It shows that it is possible to ensure free trade with the EU without having to abide by all EU laws in the economic field, he says.

Free trade agreement

The Minister for Trade and Industry is now responsible for achieving a free trade agreement with the UK as soon as possible. Negotiations are underway.

– We are important to each other, and it is urgent to reach that agreement. But we can never fully compensate for the fact that we no longer participate in the same internal market. Nybø says.