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While a number of answers have been given by election research and electoral sociology why Norway is not a part of the European Union there is still room for alternative perspectives. An important but overlooked reason might be how the Norwegian population sees itself in the European context. Norwegians view themselves as open, small and healthy group, whereas they view Europe as a closed, large and sick entity. This view has not developed overnight, but is an outgrowth of largely historical reasons that date as far back as year 1660 and were strengthened by the events that took place in both the 19th and 20th century. L. Pitkaniemi

In light of the dramatic events in the Middle East in the course of the spring 2003, it has become more & more important to focus the interest on the multidimensional relationship between the West & Arabic world. The Barcelona process or the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) is relatively purely known, but nevertheless an important aspect of the European Union's policy toward the Arabic countries. The EMP was launched in 1995 between the EU & 12 countries on the southern side of the Mediterranean Sea. The article gives a brief account of the content & the form of the project by Dec 2002 & explains at the same time the motive behind the European activities in the Mediterranean region. The three parts of the project (the political, the economical & the cultural partnership) are then analyzed focusing on the actual challenges. Problems are of financial as well as of cultural character, but the main responsibility for the slow progress characterizing the project is to be sought in the diverse interests of the member countries in important areas as trade & security politics. 24 References. Adapted from the source document.