The government is eager to become a member of the EU Health Union, but that means it is the EU that steers the ship in times of crisis, and that entails a transfer of sovereignty. State Secretary Usman Ahmad Mushtaq sees no alternative.

For years, Norway has been knocking on the door of the EU Health Union. Now it may be in the process of opening.

– We are probably not far from a breakthrough, says State Secretary Usman Ahmad Mushtaq (Labour Party) at the Ministry of Health and Care Services to NTB.

He hopes that an agreement can be in place by the end of the year.

The EU established a Health Union of its own in 2022, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, in order to strengthen preparedness. Since then, Norway has been negotiating with the EU in order to participate.

In December 2023, the European Commission gave the green light for formal negotiations.

But two things in particular have made the negotiations difficult: First, Norway must relinquish a measure of sovereignty. If a crisis arises, it is the EU’s crisis mechanism that has control.

According to information available to NTB, Norway has attempted to obtain an exemption from the provision, fully aware that transferring sovereignty to the EU means controversy in the Storting.

But the EU has stood its ground, not least because other countries, such as the United Kingdom, have agreed to such an arrangement.

– All third countries must have the same agreement, a senior EU source recently stated to NTB.

– The regulatory framework we are talking about, which will concern joint procurement of medical countermeasures during a health crisis, is a framework that we must participate in, otherwise it does not work, Mushtaq acknowledges.

Secondly, an agreement means that third countries, such as Norway, gain access to an internal solidarity mechanism that has thus far been reserved for EU member states.

– This has been a major and principled difficult issue for the EU. But the Council, that is, the political part of the EU, has said that it wants this, and the Commission is working to make it happen together with us, says Mushtaq.

He is clear that there are no alternatives to joining the Health Union. Norway painfully experienced what it means to stand alone as a small country during the pandemic.

– If we end up remaining outside, as we almost did during the pandemic, then it may affect life and health, the State Secretary maintains.

What the price tag for Norwegian participation will be remains unclear for the time being.

But the price paid during the pandemic was that Norway had to submit to a number of restrictions related to the procurement of vaccines. The protocols of the WHO and the Health Union will bind Norway hand and foot in a health crisis.

The legislation now opens the door to the use of coercion against those who oppose vaccination.