Notes on a Scandal. Norway, the EEA Agreement

Presentation of a research project as part of the "Jeudis de la Maison Suger", a residents' research seminar.

Lise Rye is Professor of Contemporary European History at the NTNU in Trondheim, Norway. She researches the history of European integration after World War II, with a special focus on the history of the EU, EFTA, Norway's relations with the EU, and the EEA agreement. The goal of her research is to understand why different forms of integration arise, how the development of the EU can be explained, and how integration affects democracy, both in the member states and at the European level.

Presentation of the project

"Norway is not a member of the EU. However, through the EEA Agreement from 1994, Norway is part of the EU’s internal market, where the right to free movement is a fundamental principle. The EEA Agreement takes precedence over national law. In the fall of 2019, it became clear that Norway had systematically violated its obligations under EEA law. Instead of adhering to the EEA provision that citizens can receive services in other EEA countries, Norwegian authorities continued to apply Norwegian legislation, which required that recipients of social benefits be located in Norway. Because of this practice, thousands of people lost their social security rights. Many were wrongly convicted and imprisoned. It was “Norway’s worst ever miscarriage of justice” (Lindahl, 2019). The purpose of this talk is to discuss how the Norwegian social security scandal can be explained. How could Norway, for several decades, practice a policy that was in blatant contradiction to the country’s obligations under the EEA Agreement? Prof. Rye explores this question from a historical perspective, highlighting the significance of Norwegian ideas about the EU, the right to free movement, and the room for manoeuvre within the framework of Norway’s EEA association."

Speaker

• Lise Rye is Professor of Contemporary European History at the NTNU in Trondheim, Norway.