I am a Norwegian. Norway is a part of EFTA, but not the EU.
I am currently pro EU, but also fairly pro socialism, or at the very least pro social democracy.
I want Norway to have the security guarantees the EU offers, I want the same currency, I want Norway to be able to participate in changing EU, not just accepting something Brussels have decided without our participation (EFTA). And several other reasons.
We can currently veto implementing some decisions, but not too many.
If Norway joins the EU will it make it harder for Norway to transition to socialism/maintain social democracy?
There are several but this comes to mind: Assange rape cases from Sweden you really, really think were real? The infiltration by US with the aid of UK and Spain in a embassy you think was normal? The forcing him to plead guilty to let him live does sound okay to the EU member states?
But let me tell you other case of another journalist (and there are more!): “It is unacceptable for an EU member state to detain a journalist in such an arbitrary manner. Not only are Pablo González’s fundamental rights as a citizen and as a journalist being violated, but so is the freedom of the press and the public’s right to know,”
He was arrested in Poland but his Spanish government officials did not lift a finger for him or any EU country for that matter. He was in solitary confinement for 2 years and 5 months with no contact with any family member whatsoever. No charges were ever filed. He was covering the Ukraine refugee crisis for several Spanish media like LaSexta. His crime? having a Russia father so been able to speak Russian to cover a Russian speaking region. How dare an important media ever send a journalist that can speak the local language! I love the framing the media said at the time though… “he was carrying two passports with different names” and reminded me of the multitude ¨terrorists" arrests after 9/11 and the press saying “they had multiple passports” and “a flight simulators was found”… until I realized which young immigrant in the US would not have multiple passports and have one of the most popular games in the 90s! The two passports with “different names” it is rather common for people with dual citizenship to have different names… there is nothing illegal or fishy about it. Here in the US it is even in the forms to change name as you gain the citizenship! He was born in Russia but lived all his live in Spain (a very commi side of Spain though, I give you that) but not deserving to imprison in solitary confinement for 2 and a half years without any charges to be released in a prisoner exchange with Russia.
https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/category/europe/article/poland-spanish-journalist-pablo-gonzalez-in-custody-for-two-years-on-charges-of-spying-for-russia
By the way, after years of reading on spies’ arrests by, whether is Poland, Russia, Iran, US or India, in today’s world, with so much tech and the resources that these countries have to accumulate evidence… if a “spy” is arrested and no charges are brought up within 2 months and 5 in front of a judge, I straight consider it either there is no case at all, or the government it is just accumulating a head count to exchange with another country. I don´t even think 70% of the “prisonerś exchanges” are what they claimed they are. Now, if they pick people randomly or simply people they don´t like it is a mystery.