A record majority of Norwegians want to join the European Union, fearing of being left out in the cold as the bloc prepares for enlargement, opinion poll results showed yesterday.
Norwegians, wealthy thanks to North Sea oil and vast fishing resources, rejected membership in 1994 and 1972 referendums. But recent polls all show a warming attitude towards Brussels.
The poll by the Opinion polling institute for the Aftenposten newspaper and NRK television showed 57 per cent would vote in favour of joining the 15-member bloc if there were another referendum, 29 per cent would vote against and 14 per cent were undecided.
"We are clearly seeing a new trend," said Ms Kristin Taraldsrud Hoff, a political scientist and managing director of Opinion, citing EU enlargement as a major reason.
"The EU is turning into something else. It is no longer an exclusive inner circle and is even seen as a moderating force against the United States' foreign policy," she said.
The poll of 1,000 Norwegians this month showed the Yes side had gained nine percentage points since a similar poll in December.
"Consumers are protesting against expensive food in Norway, high taxes and a relatively high interest rate," Ms Taraldsrud Hoff said. - (Reuters)