Brussels, 17/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - The Slovene Government has decided to hold simultaneous referenda on 23 March: one on EU membership and the other on joining NATO. The Government should soon be adopting a declaration stressing that it will respect the choice of the citizens, even if, from a constitutional point of view, referenda only have a consultative nature.
Meanwhile, a poll recently published in the daily Aftenposten, states that 67% of Norwegians would be in favour of their country joining the EU. The confirmation of the Union's forthcoming enlargement on 1 May 2004 has clearly spurred on those hesitating over EU membership; since the end of accession negotiations with ten countries at the Copenhagen Summit of 13 December, the "yes" campaigners have increased by 9% to reach a level never before attained. The current governmental coalition in Norway is divided over the question of Europe, but Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik recently hinted, on several occasions, that he would be in favour of rekindling the debate on membership. The current negotiations in view of the enlargement of the European Economic Area (EEA, of which Norway is part) to the ten new EU members (see EUROPE of 10 January, p.11), and the forthcoming ratification of the new EEA agreement could be an opportunity to consult Norwegian citizens on the country's European future, says the Prime Minister. Mr. Bondevik is said to be in favour of holding two referenda: one to approve the outcome of negotiations on the EEA agreement, the other on re-launching the request for EU membership. In 1994, whereas accession negotiations were already over, the majority of Norwegians voted against joining the EU.