Less opposition to EU membership in Norway: poll

STOCKHOLM, July 20 (Xinhua) -- A latest poll showed that 49 percent of those asked are opposed to Norway seeking EU membership, down from 54.9 percent in June, according to reports reaching here from Oslo on Monday.

The poll was conducted by the Norwegian survey company Sentio recently before Iceland decided to apply for EU membership. It is the first time in 20 months that less than 50 percent of the respondents opposed the country's EU accession, said the Norwegian online newspaper The Norway Post.

The survey, sponsored by the newspapers Nationen and Klassekampen, also showed that 38.5 percent of people are in favor of Norway's EU membership, up from 35.6 percent last month, it added.

Norway applied for EU membership in the 1970s and in early 1990s, but was forced to withdraw its application as most of its citizens were against it.