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Image header Agence Europe
Europe Daily Bulletin No. 8145
THE DAY IN POLITICS / (eu) eu/norway

Norwegian Prime Minister believes his fellow-citizens are tired of debate on their country's possible membership of EU

Madrid, 06/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - At the end of a meeting, on Tuesday, with the President-in-Office of the European Council, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, his Norwegian counterpart, Kjell Magne Bondevik said in substance that opinion in his country was not ready for a new debate on EU membership, at least in the immediate future. Mr. Bondevik played down speculations by which the excitement linked to the launch of the euro could lead his country to join the Union. "For now, there is no debate in Norway on possible membership", he declared, adding that "the Norwegian people are tired of debates about membership and want to wait". He did, however, acknowledge that the issue would sooner or later re-emerge and possibly in favour of the membership of the Baltic States, which are close to Oslo. "I don't think this will happen in the current parliamentary mandate which ends in 2005, but perhaps later", he concluded.

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