Norway demands to be IN EU Brexit talks revealing it's ALREADY talking to UK
NORWAY has said it would like to be included in any transitional Brexit talks between the UK and EU.
Norway PM: Our model won't work for Britain
“We would like to have the possibility to be included in EU-UK arrangements concerning the internal market, permanent as well as transitional," the Norwegian EEA and EU minister, Frank Bakke-Jensen, said in a speech to EU ambassadors in Oslo.
"I am pleased with the willingness to consult closely with us on coming negotiations about the internal market," he said, adding that Norway was also conducting a bilateral political dialogue with London.
"We are ready to discuss our future co-operation in specific terms as soon as the situation permits," he said.
The comments come just weeks after the country’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg predicted Britain would opt for a hard Brexit, and would resist buckling under EU pressure.
Norway is not in the EU, but pays for access to the European common market via the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement.
It also contributes to the EU budget, and is a signatory to the Schengen agreement.
An EEA deal would allow Britain to maintain membership of the single market, in return for continued payment into the EU budget.
Crucially, however, an EEA deal means accepting freedom of movement, which Mrs May has signalled would be a deal breaker for her government.
Critics of the EEA agreement also say it means Britain has no say about the laws and regulations it must accept for access to the single market.
Opinion in the UK is divided over what form of Brexit the country should take - either a “hard” Brexit where it severs all ties with the bloc or follows a “soft” and, like Norway, keeps close ties with the EU whilst still remaining outside of it.