On Tuesday 17th March, the delegation will travel to Fredrikstad, where the Storting’s Delegation to the EFTA and EEA Parliamentary Committees will host a meeting with the EEA Joint Parliamentary Committee.

The Storting has met Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) for annual talks on Norway-EU relations and other questions of mutual interest ever since 1982. Among the items on the agenda this year are climate issues, relations with Russia, the state of affairs in Ukraine, the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, and refugee and asylum questions. The security situation in Europe, not least the heightened terrorist threat and how to achieve a balance between antiterrorism measures on the one hand and civil liberties on the other, will also be under discussion.

The EEA Joint Parliamentary Committee was set up in conjunction with the 1994 EEA Agreement. It brings together parliamentarians from the three EEA/EFTA countries with a delegation from the European Parliament. Meetings are held biannually, with the Swiss Parliament having observer status. The committee’s primary objective is to follow developments within EEA collaboration and to give its views on topics of current interest at the earliest possible stage. One of the items at the top of the agenda in Fredrikstad will be the free trade negotiations currently taking place between the EU and USA, and their implications for Norway and the EEA. The parliamentarians will also examine industrial policy within the EEA. In this respect, there will be a visit to Borregaard, one of the world's most advanced biorefineries. A third item of interest – a priority for the European Commission’s 2015 Work Programme – will be the digital single market and challenges within digital technology.

Although Norway is not an EU member state, we are closely integrated through the EEA Agreement. Consequently, close ties between the Storting and the European Parliament are of great importance. The EU adopts a huge amount of legislation that has a major impact on day-to-day life in Norway. For this reason it is essential that the Storting is well versed in the matters being dealt with in the European Parliament and is informed about proposed legislation at an early phase in proceedings. The meetings between the Storting and the European Parliament are a source of direct information about matters and processes in the EU. They also give participants the opening to exchange views on topical questions. A third benefit is the opportunity to discuss challenges in fields where parties have a mutual interest in presenting a united front. Relations with Russia, where Norway follows the EU’s restrictive measures towards our neighbour in the east, are a case in point.

It is vital that our Members of Parliament involve themselves early on when new legislation and policies that could affect Norwegian society are being formulated and considered in the EU. At its meetings, the Joint Parliamentary Committee adopts resolutions that are sent to the EEA Council of Ministers. An issue of importance in recent years, which the committee has made specific recommendations to the EU and EEA authorities on, is climate and energy policy. This will take on even greater significance now that the EU is developing a new energy union.