– I am pleased that we have signed a new agreement on EEA funds with Romania – an important partner and ally for Norway. In a troubled time marked by pressure on democratic values and principles, work against disinformation has become an increasingly important area of cooperation, says Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide (Labour Party) in a press release.
Eide is in Bucharest on Wednesday to sign the agreement. Romania has received EEA funds since its EU membership began in 2007.
In the period from 2021 to 2028, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein will contribute 3.2 billion euros to 15 of the EU’s less affluent member states. The money is to be prioritised for green transition, democracy and social inclusion, but now the fight against disinformation is also included in the agreement.
183 million euros have also been earmarked for measures in the recipient countries to help manage the consequences of Russia’s warfare in Ukraine. (NTB)
It almost sounds like a joke. Espen Barth Eide is in Bucharest to sign an agreement on cooperation against disinformation. Romania is the country where the EU used disinformation to overturn a lawfully elected president. Călin Georgescu won the first round of the presidential election, but the second round was cancelled for obscure reasons. Recently, a court concluded that the process was unconstitutional.
But this has thrown Romania into a crisis, because it means that the sitting government is illegitimate. This also led to a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan’s government, which fell.
In this tense situation, a Norwegian foreign minister chooses to travel to Romania in order to enter into a pact against disinformation.
Norway is on the side of the coup-makers. It cannot be understood otherwise.
The threat hanging over the EU now is to declare elections that go against them invalid.
This is the game Norway is now participating in.
Romania i politisk krise: Regjeringen felt – Georgescu tilbake på banen
A considerable portion of the EEA funds will now go towards the fight against disinformation.
Norway and Romania are entering into an EEA cooperation agreement in the fight against disinformation. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide is in Bucharest on Wednesday to sign the agreement.