About us - The European Commission's Delegation to Norway and Iceland

Welcome to the homepage of the European Commission Delegation to Norway and Iceland. On this web site you will find updated news and background information about the EU. The information in English on this web site is limited to the most basic information about us, but our sites in Norwegian and Icelandic are updated daily and contain a great deal of information in the two languages.

The EU enjoys a good and broad relationship with both Norway and Iceland. We are connected mainly through the EEA Agreement. With the exception of the fishery and agricultural sectors the EEA Agreement implies that Norway and Iceland are full members of the Internal Market, with free movement of goods, capital, services and people in 28 European countries.

In addition, Norway and Iceland are associated members of the Schengen Agreement. This agreement implies that one can travel without a passport within the Schengen area. It also entails extended police cooperation and common external borders. Furthermore, Norway and Iceland participate in Europol, several European agencies, and a number of cooperation programmes within areas such as research, education, regional development and culture.

Increasingly we have seen an interest in European issues in Norway. Once in a while this culminates into a debate on EU membership. I believe it is positive that the Norwegian public wishes to follow the developments in the EU, regardless of their view on the question of membership. Whether Norway should apply for membership, however, is a matter for Norwegians to decide.

We here at the Delegation are pleased to provide updated information about the EU and the Commission. In that regards we are always happy to give lectures and presentations in all parts of Norway. We also frequently receive groups here at the Delegation.

Thank you for visiting our site and please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any comments or questions. Your feedback is very much appreciated as we constantly strive to improve our services.

Percy Westerlund,
Ambassador and Head of the European Commission Delegation to Norway and Iceland

The Delegation of the European Commission in Oslo is one of 130 worldwide diplomatic representations of the European Commission in Brussels. The Delegation in Oslo was founded in 1987 and is responsible for the official relations between the European Commission and Norway and Iceland respectively. An important objective of the Delegation is to provide information about the EU's institutional framework, policies and activities.

The Delegation publishes electronic newsletters and magazines, both in Norwegian and Icelandic, with the latest up-to-date information on EU policies and current affairs. To subscribe please contact us on the following address: europakommisjonen@cec.eu.int. A list of all our free publications can be found on our homepage.

The Delegation also has a homepage especially designed for young people: www.EUng.no (NO) or www.esb.is/ung (IS).
On this page you find information about the EU and Europe adjusted to young people between the ages of 14 and 19. Apart from general information on the EU this page contains information about the current and future member states in the EU, as well as games, questions and links.

The Delegation frequently publishes brochures in Norwegian dealing with specific topics. Brochures in Danish and English from the Commission in Brussels are also available, free of charge.

Students, researchers, teachers and others who wish to access official documents from the EU should contact the European Documentation Centres (EDC). The trade and industry sectors can contact the Euro Info Centres offices (EIC) located around Norway and Iceland for information on the european market place.

General information about the EU and all official documents can be found on the Europa-server on: http://europa.eu.int