Chaos in Norway as government collapses in huge row over EU

Chaos has erupted in a Scandinavian country as its collapses amid a row over the .

administration imploded on Thursday after its eurosceptic Centre party left the ruling two-party coalition over adopting EU green laws.

Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, the finance minister and Centre party leader, has hit out at the regulations.

According to broadcaster DN, he said: “We say that enough is enough, this is the limit.

“We are doing it to change Norwegian electricity policy and create a dynamic where we can take measures that can give us lower and stable electricity prices in Norway, and that we should not cede more power to the EU.”

Norway was brought up many times during the UK’s debate, as the state is not a member of the EU, but is part of the European Economic Area (EEA).

This ensures that it has access to the union’s single market, but means the country must follow most EU directives.

The possibility of a Norway-style deal with Brussels was advocated by some, and is still occassionally mooted today five years on from the UK’s exit by advocates of the country’s entry into the single market.

The Centre party jumping ship means that the centre-Left Labour party, led by Jonas Gahr Støre, the Prime Minister, will be governing solo for the first time in a quarter of a century, reports.

It is possible that Labour could continue to govern until the Norwegian elections in September, although the party may struggle to pass legislation due to lacking a parliamentary majority.

Mr Støre told reporters: “Here I stand, I am not gone.” He added: “This is not the outcome I wanted.”

One EU ambassador in Oslo recently told the Financial Times: “We are not happy with Norway. The sentiment is as bad as I have known it.

“Norway looks selfish, trying to keep this electricity for itself even as it makes so much money from selling gas to us.”