1994 Norwegian European Union membership referendum

A referendum on joining the European Union was held in Norway on 27 and 28 November 1994. After a long period of heated debate, the "no" side won with 52.2 per cent of the vote, on a turnout of 88.6 per cent. Membership of what was then the European Community had previously been rejected in a 1972 referendum, and by French veto in 1962.

As of 2025, this was the most recent referendum in Norway.

Campaign

The "No" campaign was led by Anne Enger Lahnstein, leader of the Centre Party. The main themes of the "No" campaign were loss of sovereignty if Norway should join the Union, as well as the fundamental differences in economic structure between Norway and the EU, as Norway has an economy based heavily on natural resources (especially oil and fish), in contrast to the EU's more industrial economy.

Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland led the "Yes" campaign. Her party, the Labour Party, was divided on the question of Norwegian membership of the Union. Unlike Trygve Bratteli in 1972, she refused to threaten to resign if the referendum failed to result in a "Yes" vote, on the grounds that more serious divisions could have arisen in the Labour Party. The main arguments of the "Yes" side were that as a European country, Norway belonged in the European Union, and that Norway's economy would benefit from membership.

According to John Erik Fossum, a political science professor at ARENA, Centre for European Studies, University of Oslo, "the fact that Norway had already signed the EEA agreement made it easier for people to vote no because they knew that Norway had assured EU market access."

Debates

1994 Norwegian EU membership debates
Date	Time	Organizers	Template:Colors Present   Template:Colors Invitee Template:Colors Non-invitee
			Ap	H	Sp	Sv	KrF	Frp	V	R	Refs
			style="background:Template:Party color" |	style="background:Template:Party color" |	style="background:Template:Party color" |	style="background:Template:Party color" |	style="background:Template:Party color" |	style="background:Template:Party color" |	style="background:Template:Party color" |	style="background:Template:Party color" |
25 November 1994	00:00	NRK	P Gro Harlem Brundtland, Thorbjørn Jagland	P Jan Petersen	P Anne Enger Lahnstein	P Erik Solheim	P Kjell Magne Bondevik	P Carl I. Hagen	P Odd Einar Dørum	P Aksel Nærstad
									I	NY
									style="background:Template:Party color" |	style="background:Template:Party color" |
9 November 1994	00:00	NRK and Student Society in Trondheim	P Thorbjørn Berntsen	P John G. Bernander	P Marit Arnstad	P Erik Solheim	N	N	P Rune Haaland	P Heidi Sørensen
									SME	LO
									style="background:Template:Party color" |	style="background:Template:Party color" |
14 November 1994	00:00	NRK at Fokus Kino	P Gro Harlem Brundtlan	P Kaci Kullmann Five	P Johan J. Jakobsen	N	P Kjell Magne Bondevik	N	P Tove Strand	P Yngve Hågensen
									SME	UN
									style="background:Template:Party color" |	style="background:Template:Party color" |
23 November 1994	00:00	NRK	P Thorbjørn Jagland	P Jan Petersen	P Anne Enger Lahnstein	P Stein Ørnhøi	N	N	P Hallvard Bakke	P Thorvald Stoltenberg

Official party positions

For a 'Yes' vote	For a 'No' vote
Conservative Party Labour Party Progress Party	Christian Democratic Party Centre Party Socialist Left Party Liberal Party Red Electoral Alliance Workers' Communist Party

Results

By constituency

Constituency	Electorate	Spoilt votes	Total poll (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)
Østfold		307
Akershus		443
Oslo		497
Hedmark		215
Oppland		251
Buskerud		240
Vestfold		123
Telemark		106
Aust-Agder		68
Vest-Agder		58
Rogaland		166
Hordaland		244
Sogn og Fjordane		52
Møre og Romsdal		178
Sør-Trøndelag		239
Nord-Trøndelag		50
Nordland		226
Troms		57
Finnmark		51
Source: Dataset European Election Database Template:Webarchive

See also

• Norway–European Union relations

External links

• The European Movement in Norway
• No to the EU - Norwegian eurosceptics
• Norway. EU Referendum 1994, Electoral Geography 2.0 website