will switzerland ever join the EU?? Norway??

I think its kinda cool that they have not but I bet they recieve a lot of pressure to join. Why has switzerland not joined? Norway??

I guess they are semi involved anyways, like Iceland in many of the aspects of the EU without actually being members.

why does sweden and the england maintain their own currency even though they are part of the EU? I am sure they have faced pressure to convert to the euro. But I guess england does not join for obvious reasons, since the pound is stronger than the euro.

 

Switzerland: they just don't need it. They're self-contained enough to join some Union, they'd have to share everything with.

Norway: because of their fishing industry. Look, they make lots of money out of fishing - and all that money they'd have to share with ... + Union wouldn't even allow them to fish as much as they do ...

Euro: yes. I think so ... their currency's too strong that there's no reason to convert to the euro ...

 

All european countries (at least west-european countriues, I'm not sure about all east-european countries, but I think so) currencies are bounded to the euro. Not only GB and Denmark that has them own (symbolic) currencies, but also non-EU countries - Switzerland and Norway...

-wolf-

 

what do other countries think about switzerland not needing the EU?

I know they are a very neutral country. even during WW2 they somehow managed that.

are/were there any presidental canidates who support joining past or present? and how have they fared? won't it become an issue at somepoint that a canidate will bring up if no one has yet?

how is switzerland able to maintain neutrility through so many different leaders? you would think someone eventually over the years would support joining. how do the citizens feel? apathetic, or is it ingrained in them to value neutral and ..isolation??...from the world. Are most citizens proud to be neutral? maybe its almost the best thing to do at this point since so many other countries seem to be sticking their noses in other countries business. how can switzerland maintain neutrility through so many different leaders?

and is Norway as fixed in their views as Switzerland in regards to being neutral? I didn't know norway was known for fishing. Is it really that dependable? finland and sweden aren't the same?

I'm interested about Switzerland VERY MUCH and want to learn more.

and yes, norway as well, but especially switzerland.

 

I think they sleep well... But maybe some people in the Comission worry...

No, Finland and Sweden aren't the same.
And I don't think they worry alot in Norway, not being members of EU. I think they worry more about which new fancy model of a VW or Mercedes to buy...

love,
-wolf-

 

well, I agree Swizterland doesn't need it yet, since it's only an economic union now ..if the EU will ever become a common political subject it will be different.And the bilateral agreements about economics are convenient respectively both for Swiss and Norway. Norway's great strenghts beside fish, is definetely oil. Switzerland itself, on the other hand, has practically joined the European Community quite eralier than anyone: they're in the centre of Europe and got 4 official languages (german, french,italian and romansch).Their european culture is already mixed up.
And no one is so international like them, but this is due to their main role in the global capitalism (see also banks, pahrmaceutical corporation and other corp., finance speculation ecc)

 

the currency thing is more complex: some countries didn't want to join like Sweden, Denmark and England, whereas some other still can not like the eastern countries, amongst these the after Slovenia who has just joined the next to step in should be the baltic republics.In order to join each country has to accomplish some target regarding his own economy and finance like inflaction, public debt(not sure),well the so-called "Maastricht parameters".

 

what's funny is that no one refers (at least in Italy) to Norwegian and swiss as EXTRA-EU (extracomunitarian), while Albanians, and former Jugoslavians are always called extra-eu. The same happen with africans and american (only north american): the first are reffered as extra-eu, the seconds not. The result is that this formal expression extra-eu (not belonging to the european economic community) is so strongly loaded with a negative-racist sense. It's kind of the word WOP the last century in the US...