Referendum in Norway 1972

Accession negotiations to the EU 1970–72: Norway United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark European Community




On September 24th and 25th, 1972, a referendum took place in Norway on the country's accession to the European Economic Community . With a turnout of 79.2 percent, membership was rejected by 53.5 percent of voters.

background

The European Economic Community (EEC) was founded in 1957. The six founding members included the Federal Republic of Germany , France , the Benelux countries and Italy . All of the first EEC states belonged to the western military alliance NATO . The EEC quickly proved to be an economic success model and there was a strong economic boom in all member states. Norway joined NATO after the Second World War and had close economic ties with Western and Central Europe. As early as the 1960s there were two attempts by the Norwegian side in 1961 and 1967 to enter into negotiations with the EEC about Norway's accession to the EEC. These negotiations (as well as those of other countries such as the United Kingdom) were blocked by French President Charles de Gaulle , who did not want the EEC to be enlarged. It was only after de Gaulle's abdication in 1969 that the way was cleared for further countries to join the EEC.

In 1970 the Norwegian Storting decided to apply again for membership of the EEC by 132 votes to 17. The fact that negotiations on closer cooperation between the Nordic countries had previously failed also played a role in the application. The initial large parliamentary majority, however, began to decline during the negotiations and a motion to terminate the accession negotiations won 37 votes in parliament in 1971. The Sosialistisk Folkeparti (SP) was against it from the start and critical voices increased in the Kristelig Folkeparti (KrF) and Venstre . Finally, it was decided to hold a referendum on the question of membership.

Proponents of joining the EEC joined forces in the Ja til EF (“Yes to the EC”) campaign. Most of the press bodies supported the yes vote, as did the major trade unions and employers' associations. On the other side stood the Folkebevelsen mot norsk medlemskap i EEC (“People's movement against Norwegian membership in the EEC”), in which many farmers, fishermen, individual intellectuals and representatives of the left spectrum gathered. The main arguments in favor of joining were economic advantages through the common European market, the main counter-argument was the loss of Norwegian sovereignty and the possible restriction of Norwegian fishing rights.

Referendum and results

Nationwide results by constituency

The question put to the electorate on September 24-25, 1972 was:

"Bør Norge bli medlem av De Europeiske Fellesskap?"

“ Should Norway join the European Community? "

- Question of the referendum of September 24-25, 1972

The following table shows the results by electoral district:

Constituency	Eligible voters	Invalid votes	Voters	Voter turnout in %	Yes		No
					be right	in %	be right	in %
Østfold	152.835	392	121,498	79.8	58,931	48.5	62,567	51.5
Akershus	217.851	542	180.503	83.1	102,521	56.8	77,982	43.2
Oslo	356.153	619	291,654	82.1	193.980	66.5	97,674	33.5
Hedmark	124.960	519	99.508	80.0	44,150	44.4	55,358	55.6
Oppland	120,082	314	94.114	78.6	37,550	39.9	56,564	60.1
Buskerud	139,999	400	110,387	79.1	59,532	53.9	50,855	46.1
Vestfold	119.780	247	94,355	85.4	53,515	56.7	40,840	43.3
Telemark	108,485	211	84.056	77.7	32,284	38.4	51,772	61.6
Aust-Agder	55.276	138	40,909	74.4	18,659	45.6	22,250	54.4
Vest-Agder	81,707	177	64,100	78.7	27,510	42.9	36,590	57.1
Rogaland	174,925	309	138,601	79.4	62.096	44.8	76.505	55.2
Hordaland	248,675	511	198,095	79.9	96.996	49.0	101.099	51.0
Sogn and Fjordane	67,335	153	51,705	77.0	15,923	30.8	35,782	69.2
Møre and Romsdal	146.917	240	114,709	78.2	33.504	29.2	81.205	70.8
Sør-Trøndelag	159,730	248	122.092	76.6	51,827	42.4	70,265	57.6
North Trøndelag	77,954	107	60,495	77.7	19.101	31.6	41,394	68.4
North country	157.183	549	120,979	77.3	33,228	27.5	87,751	72.5
Troms	88.174	385	66,499	75.9	19,820	29.8	46,679	70.2
Finnmark	47,326	327	35,709	76.1	10,560	29.6	25,149	70.4
total	2,680,907	6,388	2,089,968	79	971.687	46.5	1,118,281	53.5

As a result, joining the EEC was overwhelmingly rejected in the rural regions (62.0% no votes in the rural municipalities versus 56.2% yes votes in the urban municipalities) and it only came about in the populous region around the capital Oslo an overwhelming approval. As a result of this defeat and the apparent misjudgment of the will of the electorate, the government under Prime Minister Trygve Bratteli ( Labor Party ) resigned and a minority government made up of Christian Democrats, the Center Party and the Left took over. Norway did not join the EEC and instead concluded a free trade agreement with the EEC.

Later events (1994/95)

After the fall of the Berlin Wall , the revolutions in 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet Union , the way was clear for formerly neutral states to join Western institutions. Sweden , Finland and Austria conducted negotiations and became part of the European Union on January 1, 1995 ( second northern expansion ). The negotiations between Norway and the EU were also concluded in March 1994.

In all four states, the citizens decided in referendums about joining the EU. In Austria 66.6% voted for and 33.4% against (voter turnout 82.4%) on June 12, in Finland 56.9% voted for and 43.1% against (74.0%) and on October 16 in Sweden on November 13, 52.3% in favor and 46.8% against (83.3%).

On November 28, 1994 , 52.2% of the voting Norwegians (voter turnout: 88.8%) refused to join the EU.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ EU-kampen. Det Store Norske Leksikon, accessed December 23, 2013 (Norwegian). 
2. ↑ ^{a b c} NORGES OFFISIELLE STATISTIKK A 522: FOLKEAVSTEMNINGEN OM EF, ISSUE I. (pdf) Statistisk sentralbyrå, accessed on December 23, 2013 (Norwegian). 
3. ^ The EU referendums in Austria, Finland, Sweden and Norway: course, results, motives and consequences (pdf) . IHS Series Political Science No. 23, 1995.