Arguments against being in EU also apply to being in EEA

No country that wants to benefit from the European project has been able to have its cake and eat it, as the examples of Norway and Switzerland show, writes Daniel Gros

Most British politicians have come to accept the outcome of the Brexit referendum, and that the will of the voters must now be carried out in a manner that best upholds Britain’s national interests. Because the EU’s internal market has always been a key priority for the UK, one widely discussed option, which has cross-party support, is the so-called Norway model: membership in the European Economic Area (EEA).

Under the EEA, Norway (along with Iceland) has full, unfettered access to the EU’s single market, including for financial services. But access to the internal market also requires EEA members to accept full freedom of movement not only for goods, services, and capital, but also for workers.