Issues-led communications

Norway

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Head of State Prime Minister	King Harald V (since January 1991) Erna Solberg (Conservative Party, since October 2013)
Population	5,328,212 (2019)
Size	385,178 km² (239,338 sq. miles)
Next parliamentary election	September 2021
Last meeting with Boris Johnson	None held to date
Relationship with the UK	As Brexit talks are ongoing, Norway will want to defend its interests, particularly in terms of the impact on Brexit as a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Trade between the UK and Norway is worth around 300 billion Nok a year. Britain is the third largest market for Norwegian seafood and the largest importer of Norwegian oil and gas.
What Prime Minister Solberg said on Brexit	There “won’t be any bilateral agreements between Norway and Britain before a solution is in place with the EU.” “I fear a very hard Brexit, but I hope we will find a better solution.” “To find a good agreement is important for all European countries and I hope that we will see an orderly deal that doesn’t disrupt economic affairs in Europe”
Norway’s priorities	Norway held its last general election on 11 September 2017. Erna Solberg’s Conservatives, along with their coalition partner the Progress Party (FRP) and two other centre-right allies, have secured a majority of 89 seats in the 169-seat parliament, making them able to continue to govern. This government’s priorities are to lower taxes and diversify the economy away from oil revenue, which decreased significantly when oil prices crashed in 2014. The government wants to boost international competitiveness through privatisation and ensure free public health care and education. Support has surged for anti-EU Center Party, which wants to change the European Economic Area agreement that gives Norway access to the EU’s single market. This right-wing government also seeks to reduce immigration.