OSLO (Reuters) -Norway’s eurosceptic Centre Party will resign from the government on Thursday due to a disagreement with coalition partner Labour over the adoption of EU energy policies, public broadcaster NRK and daily VG reported, citing anonymous sources.
The Centre Party, in government since 2021, holds eight seats in Norway’s 20-person cabinet, including the finance minister, the defence minister and the minister of justice and public security, while Labour has the remaining 12 posts.
If Centre’s exit is confirmed, Labour could now rule alone in a minority government until elections in September. Labour has said Norway must maintain good relations with the EU given the threat of a trade war between Europe and the United States.
The Centre Party did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, who leads Centre, was still in a meeting with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere early on Thursday afternoon local time.
Labour wants European Union outsider Norway to adopt union directives on renewable energy consumption, on energy performance in buildings and on increased overall energy efficiency, government ministers have said.
The Centre Party opposes all three directives, which it says will erode Norwegian autonomy, and has long maintained that power and gas exporter Norway should instead seek to reclaim authority over regulation from the European Union.
Norway’s two-party centre-left minority government is lagging right-wing parties in opinion polls ahead of the parliamentary elections later this year.
(Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Gwladys Fouche)
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