Key facts
- Støre said he would not recommend Norway's EU arrangement to Britain because the two economies differ.
- Norway is in the EU single market via the EEA but has no vote on the bloc's commercial rules.
- Støre said Norway has signed 100 additional agreements with Brussels on climate, students and security.
- Støre said British friends asked him about the Norwegian arrangement after Brexit.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said he would not recommend Norway's relationship with the EU as a template for Britain, in an interview with POLITICO published November 9, 2026. Norway, with a population of 5.6 million, is in the EU single market through the European Economic Area but is not a full member and has no vote on the bloc's commercial rules.
"There's an obvious democratic deficit in it, but pragmatically, all [Norwegian] Parliaments since 1995 have said this is a reasonable way of doing it," Støre said. "I don't see Britain do that. I don't see Canada do that." He said Norway has also had to sign 100 additional agreements with Brussels covering climate, students, security and other matters.