Norwegian Centre Party quits coalition gov't over EU energy directives

Helsinki [Finland], January 31: Norway's Centre Party announced on Thursday that it is leaving the coalition government due to its opposition to European Union (EU) energy directives that Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store's Labour Party seeks to implement.
Centre Party leader Trygve Slagsvold Vedum said in a statement that the party could not support Labour's plan to align Norway more closely with EU energy markets. As a result, the Centre Party, a small eurosceptic party advocating for rural interests, will leave the coalition, allowing Labour to govern alone.
Although Norway is not an EU member, it has partially followed EU energy policies. Store had pushed to implement the EU's "Clean Energy for All Europeans" package, which the Centre Party opposed, particularly rejecting three directives on renewable energy, overall energy efficiency, and energy efficiency in buildings.
At a press conference on Thursday, Store expressed disappointment, stating that his party had sought a compromise to keep the Centre Party in the coalition.
He maintained that the directives would benefit Norwegian businesses, have no impact on electricity prices, and would not cede sovereignty to Brussels. Instead, he argued, their implementation would strengthen Norway's ties with the EU, especially as tensions rise over a potential trade war between the bloc and the United States under President Donald Trump.
The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) predicted that a Labour-only cabinet under Store could remain in power until the general election in September 2025. If so, it would mark Norway's first one-party minority government since 2001. Erna Solberg, leader of the main opposition Conservative Party and former prime minister, said the situation would leave Norway with "a weakened government."
Source: Xinhua News Agency