(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
Last time Norway decided on the issue of EU membership, many people felt that they went from no debate about the EU, to a debate where the fronts between yes and no, right and left, were razor sharp. Not least on the left, many felt that they had not been able to participate in a discussion where arguments were being tested, where it was allowed to be in doubt.
Ten years later, the debate about the EU and Norway's relations with Europe has largely stood still. At the same time, the EU has undergone major changes: within a few years, the EU has expanded to embrace the majority of Europe's states, and its borders have moved eastwards. Although many important European countries are not yet involved, enlargement to the east means that the EU is realizing what many Europeans – not least on the left – have dreamed of since World War II: a united Europe that jointly takes responsibility for its future. Therefore, it is not least the left-wing parties in the EU that have been the most important driving forces for enlargement to take precedence over deeper integration.
But while many are delighted to break down the Cold War divide between East and West, there is good reason to be worried alignment on the EU project that now dominates Europe. Both today and in the foreseeable future, the principle of the four freedoms – the freedoms of capital – will be at the bottom of the EU project and the EU regulations. Even if we want a united Europe, it does not mean that it is these principles and ideas that Europe should unite around. Then the left also divides into two: Should we still say no to an EU where capital is given priority? Or should we work within the EU to change the EU's basic principles?
Alongside Eastern enlargement, the establishment of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) is probably one of the most dramatic changes in the EU. Very few believe that an EMU membership will be in Norway's interest in the short term – until our economy is too different from other EU countries. EMU has also proved to be unsustainable in a situation where individual countries have to violate the requirements of the Stability Pact in order to increase employment and economic growth. But at the same time, one must be able to ask the question whether the power over monetary policy has not been given up for a long time, and whether it is not an advantage that the dollar and yen alone are not sovereign as international currencies.
Ny Tid is and will continue to be clear in its position on the EU and Norwegian EU membership: We believe the EMU project itself is not very viable, and we believe it is particularly harmful to small economies. Equally important is the fact that the EU seems unable to establish a well-functioning democracy – in the sense that ordinary people can make their voices heard. The absence of a European public, impenetrable decision-making structures and a powerful non-elected commission contribute to this.
At the same time, we hope that the Norwegian left will use the time leading up to the next EU fight – it is not quite underway yet – to take the debate about the EU seriously. Not as a battle between right and left, but as a conversation about what best serves the interests of the left.
We are now starting that debate in Ny Tid, and it will continue to run for weeks and months to come. In such a discussion, there should be room for yes-people, no-people and doubters. You who read Ny Tid are most welcome to let your voice be heard in the debate.
