Bernard Allen
Ceist:34 Mr. Allen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has examined the impact that the accession of Norway into the EC will have on Ireland's membership.
Written Answers. - Accession of Norway to EC.
Norway applied to join the European Community in November 1992. The Commission evaluated the application and found that Norway was already highly integrated with the Community in the economic area, that its accession would not pose insuperable problems and that it would indeed strengthen the Union in a number of ways.
That view was endorsed by the Council of Ministers and negotiations opened in April 1993 and are ongoing. They are led on the European Union side by the Presidency and the Commission.
In general Ireland has welcomed the prospect of early membership of the Union for countries like Norway. Our economic and political relations have been close and we share a similarity of views on a range of issues on the European and international agenda. Norway has much to contribute to the Union.
The full impact of Norwegian accession both for the Union and for Ireland as a member state can be precisely and globally assessed only when the negotiations have been completed in all sectors. Some of the most important areas such as agriculture, regional policy, fisheries and the question of budget contribution are still under negotiation. Together with other member states Ireland takes part in the formulation of Union negotiating positions to be put to Norway. The Irish input to this process involves a careful and co-ordinated inter-Departmental analysis of the issues at stake and the implications for this country of negotiating positions proposed by the Commission.