I'm sure Norway and Switzerland will solve climate change all on their own too.
Norway works with, and within, numerous organisations (the EU included) on climate change and a multitude of other matters where international co-operation is necessary.
I'm not sure why you seem to think that it is not possible to be pro-active, progressive, innovative and co-operative outside the EU?
A major challenge in 2003/2004 was to ensure that the EEA was enlarged at the same time as the EU, so as not to disturb the good functioning of the Internal Market. To this end, an EEA Enlargement Agreement was negotiated between the Community and its Member States, the EEA EFTA States and the Acceding Countries. The EEA Enlargement Agreement came into force on 1 May 2004, thus allowing for the simultaneous enlargement of the EU and the EEA. Most of the elements of the EEA Enlargement Agreement are technical adaptations, but one of the major substantial results of the enlargement negotiations was a ten-fold increase in the financial contribution of the EEA EFTA States, in particular Norway, to social and economic cohesion in the Internal Market (1167 M€ over five years, 600 M€ from all three EEA EFTA States and 567 M€ as a bilateral Norwegian contribution). Another element of the EEA Enlargement Agreement was that the Community would open additional quotas for certain marine and agricultural products from the EEA EFTA States.
But of course, the EU is not about the economy. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Co-operation is by definition consensual, and cannot be imposed top-down.
Norway has had decades of coalition governments, so we know how necessary it is to find solutions that we can all accept - and live with.
We approach international issues in international fora the same way, I believe - and with respect for other nations' freedom.
If not, you could just as well argue that France should apply for membership in the US. Because everything else is selfish. A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!
The Norwegians are free to choose EU policies they approve of and adopt them while the EU is still grinding its way through the process.
Why then should they have to adopt EU policies they don't like?
Maybe people who do that ARE schmucks..... "Any economic unit can emit money. The serious problem is to get it accepted" Hyman Minsky
That's the perfect definition of selfishness: let's pick those policies of the group that are advantageous to us while sitting out those that would have a cost, or be inconvenient for us. Solidarity is not a one way street.
"Oh but we're rich, so we would pay all the time". "Oh but we're doing things a lot better, why should we lower ourselves to the paltry EU standards". Back again to our starting point. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
When Norway first voted 'no' to the EU, we were certainly not rich, so that argument does not hold. There are fundamental issues behind Norway's choice to stay outside the EU, not least her principles and values.
It seems you have not taken in/listened to (or not understood?) much of what I have tried to explain - but you appear to construe dissent as an 'attack', and therefore you "counter-attack".
I have gained much detailed knowledge about the EU from ET discussions, and I feel I understand more. I find it strange that you do not seem to be interested in understanding the 'other side'.
The main problem I have with today's EU is the power-bloc mentality. I dread all talk about a common EU foreign policy and army. And, as for the need for the EU to exist to "compete" globally - what's wrong with global cooperation, and why is the EU essential for that?
The EU "leaders" are not people I would trust...and from what you write, I get the impression that you don't trust them either. The difference is maybe that you believe a future EU leadership is capable of becoming 'trustworthy' and 'egalitarian' - I see no chance of that. "Power corrupts"...and all that. You may call that being cynical, I call it being realistic.
There are fundamental issues behind Norway's choice to stay outside the EU, not least her principles and values.
The EU is not incompatible with countries' values and principles. On most issues, it sets minimum pan-European standards, but never prevents countries from going further.
And you certainly have more influence from the inside than from the outside if you want these values to be protected
The main problem I have with today's EU is the power-bloc mentality. I dread all talk about a common EU foreign policy and army.
And I would say that the main problem is the lack of a power-bloc mentality. All talk of building up the political legitimacy of the EU (the only way that values will ever be promoted, as opposed to narrow economic interests) is being killed off by eurosceptics, whose (bad faith, or completely opposed to the values you think you want to defend) arguments you seem to believe fully.
as for the need for the EU to exist to "compete" globally - what's wrong with global cooperation, and why is the EU essential for that?
The EU is the only global entity able to set standards of behavior (technical standards, social standards, as well as, for countries that might become members, democratic/political standards) that do not go to the lowest common denominator. That comes from its economic clout and its willingness to use that economic power in a united way. Norway, or France, or Germany, would never have been able to impose standards like those embedded in REACH (the chemicals products directive).
So yes, the EU is essential for global cooperation, as the main entity able to enforce some discipline and willing to show a good example on many topics.
The difference is maybe that you believe a future EU leadership is capable of becoming 'trustworthy' and 'egalitarian' - I see no chance of that.
The only way to get a better leadership is to make it more accountable.? and the only way to do that is, oddly enough, to give more political power to Brussels, so that the political debate - and the checks and balances - happens in the right place. A weakened, discredited (by national leaders) EU machinery is worse than a powerful one under the spotlight. But it needs to be powerful to be in the spotlight. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
