Quote Originally Posted by English assassin
The European social model is a losing bet.
There is no European social model, unless you count the 2000 "Lisbon Agenda', a wet firecracker which no one bothered to light anyway. All we have is a set of more or less similar social policies of the separate member states.

The EU is a zone of highly developed economies with a high degree of cooperation, mutual dependence and exchange, to the point where we have practically banned war from the heart of Europe. Within this zone the living is very pleasant, maybe not compared to Norway, but certainly to most other parts of the world. Hence the mass immigration, which proves that we are not an ethnic fortress either. Spreading this zone is in the interest of peace and prosperity.

An exporting nation like Norway has profited enormously from the EU's existence, from the markets, stability and cooperation it provides. Which is precisely why the benefits of its accession at this late stage would be marginal, both for Norway and for the EU, whereas they would be huge for a country like Turkey.

It would be helpful though if Norway would contribute to the economic and social stabilization of Eastern Europe, which is where all the EU money goes at this moment. And for a reason. The isolationist view that member states should go their separate ways and face mass migration, Chinese competition, energy problems, Russian nationalism, international terrorism and the collapse of rogue states on their own is out-dated. We need an integrated European Army and an integrated European foreign policy.

Anyone who thinks we can rely on the US (or NATO, the OSCE or Sesame Street) for our future cohesion and safety - sleep tight.