Norway signs defence pact with France and joins its nuclear umbrella

Norway has signed a wide-ranging defence agreement with France that brings it into President Emmanuel Macron’s forward nuclear deterrence plan, becoming the first country to formally sign up to the scheme.

The pact was sealed on May 27 during a visit to Paris by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who held talks with Macron at the Élysée Palace. Beyond the nuclear element, it covers closer cooperation on maritime security, hybrid warfare, cyber security and space, and commits the two countries to mutual defence if needed, according to Spanish news agency Europa Press.

Under the nuclear arrangement, Norway would take part in what France calls “forward deterrence”, under which European partners are more closely involved in French strategic thinking on nuclear defence. Macron said the deal established “a principle of mutual assistance” between the two countries and described it as a major milestone that would underpin Europe’s defence ambitions, telling a joint news conference that Norway would add significant value to the enhanced deterrent. saying it would let the two act quickly through concrete plans, exercises and pre-arranged structures, Europa Press reported.

Norway is a member of NATO but not of the European Union, and shares a border with Russia in the Arctic. It has long been a firm Atlanticist, relying heavily on the alliance and on the US nuclear umbrella.

Støre stressed that the move would not change his country’s basic nuclear policy. Norway would not allow nuclear weapons to be stationed on its territory in peacetime and would not contribute financially to France’s nuclear programme, he said.

Macron set out the forward deterrence doctrine in March at France’s ballistic-missile submarine base at Île Longue, near Brest in western France. As the EU’s only nuclear-armed state, France offered the protection of its arsenal to about eight European allies — among them Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden and Denmark — with Norway now the first to commit formally, Europa Press reported.

The agreement comes amid doubts about long-term US commitments and heightened tensions with Russia over its war in Ukraine. French nuclear weapons had previously been tied to France’s own security alone, with Paris now open to a wider European role.

Norway, a nation of about 5.6 million people, has signed similar defence agreements with Germany and the United Kingdom over the past six months.