A referendum on whether Norway should join the European Union was held on November 28, 1994. After a long period of heated debate, the "No" side won with 52.2 percent of the votes. The voter turnout was 88.6 percent.

The front person of the "No" side was Anne Enger Lahnstein, leader of the Centre Party. The biggest concerns of the "No" side was loss of sovereignty if Norway should join the Union as well as the fundamental differences in economical structure between Norway and the union as Norway has an economy based heavily on natural resources (especially oil and fish) contrary to the EU's industrial based economy.

Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland was the front person of the "Yes" side. Her party, the Labour Party was divided on the view of Norwegian membership in the Union. She refused to threaten to resign if the referendum didn't go her way, worried that the Labour Party would split in half. The main arguments of the "Yes" side were that Norway belonged in the European Union, and that Norway's economy would benefit strongly from membership.

Several explanations have been put forward as to why the "No" side won - from bad campaign management and preparations of the "Yes" campaign, via old cultural cleavages in Norwegian society, to the EEA agreement, which made Norway part of the EU's internal market.

See also

• Norwegian EC referendum, 1972