In this interview, Bjørn Tore Godal, leader of the Workers’ Youth League in Norway from 1971 to 1973, recalls the main reasons why the people of Norway, on 25 September 1972, rejected accession to the European Communities. He emphasises, in particular, factors such as the distance from Brussels and the reluctance of a young nation-state to transfer part of its sovereignty, and he emphasises the significance of the fishing industry and agriculture in Norway.