A High-Stakes Fight Is Brewing in Norway Over EU Relations
Norway is experiencing a double bind as a result of the EEA accord, which came to fruition as a compromise in not joining the European Union. The EEA agreement allows Norway to have access to markets for goods and services, however, has been faced with legal scrutiny from labor unions who are concerned with its impact on wages and labor laws. Having access to the EU’s markets means Norway has to accept incoming workers and inadvertently adopt EU laws. Mette Nord, head of Fagforbundet, stated that the union isn’t in opposition with the EEA accord, however, they want to ensure that Norwegian collective bargaining agreements, labor laws, and ILO conventions take precedence over EU laws.
See "A High-Stakes Fight Is Brewing in Norway Over EU Relations", Sveinung Sleire, Bloomberg, February 5, 2019