The speech from the throne by His Majesty The King on the occasion of the opening of the 169th session of the Storting

It is the aim of the Government to improve people’s financial situation.

Workers have experienced virtually no real wage growth since 2015. Over the past few years, the energy crisis, the war in Ukraine and soaring inflation have all played a part in reducing people’s purchasing power.

We are now at a turning point in the economy.

This year, workers look set to see real wage growth. Inflation is on the way down. The 2024 wage settlement is generous. Income tax for those with low and middle incomes is being reduced. Grants for upper secondary education, financial support for students, the commuter travel deduction and the deduction for trade union fees are being increased.

Families with children will see more affordable pre-school day-care, free core time in day-care for schoolchildren outside school hours, and higher child benefits. The Government is taking steps to ensure that all children and young people have equal opportunities to participate in cultural, sports and other free-time activities.

Pensioners and others receiving benefits will see a rise in their incomes.

Having a job is crucial to people’s own financial security. A high employment rate is also vital to reduce social disparities. Some 145 000 more people have found employment over the past three years. Registered unemployment is low, in historical terms and as compared with other countries.

 

Organised crime poses a significant threat in Europe. In Norway too, more and more people have been affected by this type of crime over the past year, especially in Oslo.

The Government is strengthening border controls by increasing the number of customs officers and providing them with better equipment.

The police budget will be substantially increased. This will lead to greater police visibility on the streets and more resources available for fighting organised crime. The Government will also make it easier to confiscate the proceeds of crime, whether money or other assets.

Criminal offences committed by children and young people are to be met with a swift reaction. Penalties for young offenders were made more stringent as of 1 September. The Government is providing more resources for arenas that can help to prevent the recruitment of children and young people to crime.

 

Many sectors are facing a shortage of labour. In the white paper Long-term Perspectives on the Norwegian Economy 2024, the Government has set a target to get a further 150 000 people into work by 2030.

This target is being followed up in a number of ways. The Government is strengthening welfare-to-work schemes and making it easier to combine receiving benefits with paid work.

A new Education Act entered into force on 1 August. In the Act, the scope of the right to upper secondary education has been expanded to give young people the right to complete an education that qualifies them for further education or provides them with vocational qualifications. This in turn will increase the employment rate.

The rules for admission to higher education have been changed. This will make it possible for more people to start higher education and enter the workforce more quickly.

The Government’s new digitalisation strategy will lay a foundation for freeing up labour resources.

To date, more than 80 000 Ukrainian refugees have been settled in municipalities across Norway. More and more of them are finding work.

 

The business sector in Norway is thriving and profitability is high. In recent years, companies have set new records in terms of investments and exports. The Government will facilitate further growth by means of a predictable and active business policy. In its fisheries policy, the Government will ensure fairer and more predictable allocation of fishing quotas.

Norway has entered into a trade agreement with India. This will open up major export opportunities for Norwegian companies. The Government’s Green Industrial Initiative will provide better framework conditions for industrial projects that cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The Agricultural Agreement provides a framework for significantly increasing farmers’ incomes. It will also help to increase food self-sufficiency in Norway and reduce emissions from agriculture. This will be achieved for example through measures to protect the aquatic environment in the Oslo Fjord area.

The new National Transport Plan also includes important steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and land-use changes. In next year’s national budget, the Government will present a plan outlining how Norway will achieve its climate targets by 2030.

We need to significantly increase electricity supplies, develop the grid and expand energy efficiency measures in the years ahead. We must replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources and ensure adequate access to electricity at low prices. The Government has stepped up the pace of its major offshore wind initiative. The first contract for the development of an offshore wind farm on the Norwegian continental shelf has been awarded.

 

The Government will reduce both geographical and social disparities so that people can lead good lives in urban and rural areas alike.

The Government’s goal is for more people to settle in the outlying districts. Increasing settlement in these areas is a key component of Norway’s overall preparedness and is of strategic importance, particularly in North Norway. The Government is implementing measures to encourage settlement, such as free ferry transport, half-price airline tickets on the short runway network, and lower prices for pre-school day-care. Decentralised educational programmes and rural development agreements are among the measures contributing to activity and business development in outlying areas.

It is vital that the municipalities have the necessary freedom of action and resources to carry out their tasks in line with their needs. In the years ahead, it will be particularly important to reduce social disparities in the cities and to equip the municipalities to deal with a rise in the number of elderly and a need to provide more care services.

Next year, the municipalities will see a significant increase in income. At the same time, municipal income will be distributed more evenly. Municipalities with low tax revenues will receive more funding. This will make it possible to give people throughout the country access to equal services.

 

Learning outcomes, motivation and the overall school environment have been moving in a negative direction in recent years. The Government has presented a white paper on primary and lower secondary school education, setting out measures that will help to reverse this trend.

All pupils are to develop basic skills in reading, writing and numeracy at an early stage. An orderly school day that encourages concentration is vital.  It is the teacher who is in charge in the classroom. More clearly defined rules for orderly conduct and behaviour will enhance learning and improve the well-being of pupils. Efforts are under way to promote more practical, less sedentary and more diversified activities in all school subjects.

Materials to promote practical learning and printed textbooks are being brought back to the classroom. Alongside this, the Government is taking steps to strengthen school libraries and motivate pupils to read more.

Access to mobile phones during school hours interferes with learning. The Directorate of Education has recommended strict regulation of the use of mobile phones during school lessons and breaks. The Government will present a proposal on a minimum age for use of social media in due course.

 

Everyone is to have access to high-quality health care services when they are in need of them. The Government is following up on its promise to reduce hospital waiting times, and is allocating additional funding to hospitals for this purpose. The aim is to achieve a major reduction in hospital waiting times in 2024 and 2025.

The Government’s efforts to strengthen the general practitioner service are producing results. More people now have access to a dedicated general practitioner. Greater availability of general practitioners has a direct impact on waiting times for appointments in the specialist health services.  

Under the National Programme for Mental Health, the Government will work to promote better mental health and improve the quality of people’s lives. The threshold for seeking help for mental health problems must be low. This is why the Government is working to increase access to low-threshold measures at the municipal level and expand capacity in mental health care.

 

During these past years, the Government and the Storting have taken many decisions aimed at safeguarding our common values and promoting security, peace and solidarity. This has in part been necessary in response to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.  

With the establishment of the Nansen Support Programme for Ukraine, a united Storting has laid the foundation for the provision of significant Norwegian military, civilian and humanitarian support to Ukraine. Norwegian support is helping to protect the people of Ukraine from Russian attacks and to maintain critical societal functions.

The Government has taken steps to significantly strengthen the Norwegian Armed Forces. This year Norway has met NATO’s 2 % goal. All the parties in the Storting also reached agreement on a new Long-term Defence Plan. The new long-term plan addresses deficiencies in the current defence structure. It will strengthen the Navy, the Army and the Air Force. The Government has provided support to enhance production capacity in the Norwegian defence industry.

The Government will strengthen civilian resilience and will present a white paper on Norway’s total preparedness. Work is under way to establish national contingency stocks of grain in Norway.

 

The challenges that we are contending with in this decade range from pandemics, war in Europe and energy crises, to climate change, environmental degradation and high inflation. Together we will steer our country safely through these turbulent times. Together we will contribute to stability and democracy throughout the world. And together we work to ensure that Norway remains a country a high degree of social equality, a high level of trust, and a strong sense of fellowship.

The Government looks forward to fruitful cooperation with the Storting.

 

I pray that God will bless the deliberations of this Storting, and I hereby declare the 169th session of the Storting to be open.

Given at the Royal Palace in Oslo on 20 September 2024 

Under Our Hand and the Seal of the Realm