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Europe: Norway's experience

We report on Norway's experience of living within Europe but outside the European Union.

As Britain teeters on the brink of leaving the European Union, we're reporting from countries that are in Europe but outside the EU. Norway isn't a member, but is part of the European single market, trading freely with EU nations, with the exception of agriculture and the powerful fishing industry, which are excluded from the deal. It's also part of the Schengen borderless area, so people from EU countries can come and go freely, and many do; Norway has a high proportion of migrant workers. The country has to implement lots of rules decided by the EU, even though it has no say at all in how those rules are drawn up. Critics and supporters of Norway's arrangement with the EU say the country has an illusion of sovereignty, rather than the real thing. So, some say Norway should tear up its trade deal with what's called the European Economic Area, or EEA. Others, including the prime minister, say Norway may as well just become a full member of the EU. That split is reflected in businesses too, as Rob Young has been finding out.

(Picture: Norwegian flag. Picture credit: BBC.)

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7 minutes