Expansion of the European Union seems to be tipping Norwegians in favour of taking their oil-rich nation into the bloc, an opinion poll showed today.
A slim majority, 51 per cent, of the 1,000 Norwegians polled supported ending isolation on the northern fringe of Europe and joining the expanded EU.
Thirty-six per cent were against and 13 per cent undecided, according to the poll for national broadcaster NRK, which was taken after the accession of ten new states on May 1st. Backing for membership has not been so high since early 2003.
Mr Thore Olaussen, head of research at polling agency Opinion, warned that the positive impact of EU enlargement in non-member Norway was fragile and could be reversed if the EU runs into problems in the next few years after its expansion to 25 states from 15.
Norwegians voted in two referendums against joining the European Community in 1972 and again in 1994, even when their Nordic neighbours Sweden and Finland chose to join the bloc. Another EU referendum could be held after parliamentary elections in September 2005.
The survey showed that support for joining the EU climbed from 47 per cent in a similar poll in April while the proportion of those opposed was stable.
A fifth of those who had voted against joining the EU in 1994 said say they would now vote "Yes", NRK said.