The Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Oslo Press Division

Norway Daily No. 35/00

Date: 18 February 2000

GOVERNMENT CRISIS NOW LESS LIKELY (Vårt Land)

A Government crisis is less likely since yesterday, when the Conservative Party and the Labour Party informed the Government of their instructions with regard to the gas-fired power plant issue. Government spokesmen made it clear that these instructions were acceptable. The Conservatives and Labour are demanding that the requirements imposed on Norwegian gas-fired power plants with regard to greenhouse gases should not be any different from those in effect for EEA countries in general. In practice this means that Labour no longer wants to place demands on levels of CO ₂ emissions from gas-fired power plants. The Jagland Government introduced these demands in the Pollution Control Act, but the Conservative Party has always been against these demands.

BONDEVIK WANTS TO STAY IN POWER (Dagbladet)

Yesterday Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik met with his new rival for government power: Jens Stoltenberg. From now until 9 March, Mr. Bondevik will be considering whether he should accept the defeat on gas-fired power plants, or let Mr. Stoltenberg take over. He has not decided yet. "We will be considering this question until the committee makes its recommendations on 29 February, and until the Storting debate in March," said Mr. Bondevik. He will take into consideration not only the gas-fired power plant issue, but his party’s entire strategy. Several key sources have informed Dagbladet that the advantages of holding a Government position and wielding Government influence are so great that even a setback as serious as a defeat in the gas-fired power plant issue may be acceptable.

BONDEVIK SAYS THAT LABOUR IS TRYING TO GAIN CONTROL (Dagsavisen)

"It is difficult to explain Labour’s about-face in the gas-fired power plant issue unless one assumes that the party is seeking government power," says Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik. He views the Labour and Conservative Parties’ approval of gas-fired power plants as "disappointing" in relation to the environment. Mr. Bondevik says he is prepared to discuss possible compromises that are better for the environment.

GOVERNMENT MINISTERS VIEW DEMANDS AS UNACCEPTABLE (Aftenposten)

If the current Government is to survive, Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik will have to override the views of Minister of the Environment Guro Fjellanger and Minister of Petroleum and Energy Marit Arnstad. "This is unacceptable for Norway as an environmentally aware country," says Ms. Arnstad, referring to the Labour and Conservative Parties’ demand that CO ₂ emissions from Norwegian gas-fired power plants should not be restricted. Ms. Fjellanger concurs fully with this view.

INCREASE IN GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS (Dagsavisen)

If the Storting majority intends to set aside the conditions set by the Norwegian Pollution Control Authority and the Government in discharge permits, anyone who so desires will be able to build a gas-fired power plant in Norway. The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate has received five applications to build gas-fired power plants. If all five are built, CO ₂ emissions will increase by 20 per cent, according to figures from the Directorate and the potential builders.

BULLIES SHOULD BE FORCED TO CHANGE SCHOOLS (Aftenposten)

Minister of Education, Research and Church Affairs Jon Lilletun wants to stop the victims of bullying from having to change schools. He wants to amend legislation to make it possible to move particularly difficult pupils to new schools without their parents’ permission. According to current legislation, all pupils have the right to attend their local school. This is what Mr. Lilletun wants to change.

WANTS TO CURB PUBLIC WELFARE (Vårt Land)

Central Bank Governor Svein Gjedrem wants limits to public funding from tax revenues, and feels that we should pay for more of our benefits ourselves. "The public authorities must define their core responsibilities more clearly, both within the health sector and in other areas. There is a need to limit what the public authorities should be financing through tax revenues," said Mr. Gjedrem in his annual speech yesterday.

WORTH NOTING

• If there is the slightest sign of delay in the gas-fired power plant issue, Conservative Party chairman Jan Petersen will try to throw Kjell Magne Bondevik out of the Government. "This has become a question of either/or. Either Mr. Bondevik accepts the gas-fired power plants, or he resigns," says Mr. Petersen. (Dagsavisen)
• Gangs of girls with good backgrounds and good grades are to an increasing extent bullying other children. They can be pitiless, and often have personality problems, even though they do well in school. (Aftenposten)
• The Norwegian Union of Teachers, the Teachers’ Union and the Office of the Commissioner for Children all basically support the proposal made by Minister of Education, Research and Church Affairs Jon Lilletun to force bullies to change schools. (Verdens Gang)
• The price of petrol rose by 18 øre yesterday. Since 7 January, the price of 95 octane unleaded petrol has increased by 40 øre per litre. And the prices will continue to rise. While the state is earning billions of kroner, Norwegian drivers are being bled white. (Dagbladet)
• Cheap airline tickets are definitely a thing of the past since Braathens Airlines presented the worst operating results in the company’s history yesterday. Both Braathens and SAS need to start earning money again. (Verdens Gang)
• Earmarking professorships and research grants is intended to increase the extremely low percentage of women in high-level positions at the University of Oslo. Even now, only one out of every ten professors in Norway is a woman. (Dagsavisen)
• The temperature is not the only thing that will increase from now until the year 2050. Global warming will result in increased precipitation levels, and the rainy west coast climate may spread throughout the entire country. (Dagbladet)

TODAY'S COMMENT

We are not questioning Thorbjørn Jagland’s expertise in the field of foreign affairs. Nevertheless, it is an indisputable fact that Haakon Blankenborg, who is being replaced by Mr. Jagland, has done an exemplary job as chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs. We cannot claim that Mr. Blankenborg would have been chosen as committee chairman if the Storting’s EU opponents had been given a free choice. But even they respect him deeply. To the extent that the Storting has had to inform the Government how to deal with our commitments within the framework of the EEA agreement, Mr. Blankenborg has ensured that this has been done in a tactful way. There has never been any doubt as to his views, but he has ensured that Norway has acted sensibly without treading on the toes of those who have other opinions. It could be argued that the chairman of the Labour Party should have a more prominent position in the Storting now that he is no longer chairman of the party’s parliamentary group. But it is a bold step to give him the position of chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs at the expense of a man who has filled the position to the satisfaction of everyone, regardless of political affiliation. With reference to the fact that Mr. Jagland has acted more aggressively with regard to our future relations with the EU, there is a danger that discussions in the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs under his direction may acquire a sharper tone than is necessary or beneficial. (Aftenposten)