Hagen: Amateurs in Government (Aftenposten)

Progress Party leader Carl I. Hagen feels the Government is more or less disregarding the Progress Party. "When it comes to building a platform for governing, this Governemnt is a lot of amateurs," he says. He goes on to say that Labour governments used to be better at building bridges than the current Bondevik Government has shown itself to be. Mr. Hagen says his party is now getting the cold shoulder, and has nothing to show for having supported the formation of this Government. So now it will be more insistent on its demands.

Gabrielsen blocked by fellow Conservatives (Verdens Gang)

Minister of Trade and Industry Ansgar Gabrielsen (Cons.) suffered a humiliating defeat in the Storting yesterday at the hands of his fellow Conservatives, who have seen to it that his gender quota bill will not receive a hearing. Open discord has also flared up between Conservatives and Christian Democrats on the issue of gender quotas for corporate boards. Mr. Gabrielsen is now counting on negotiating an agreement with the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions and the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO) to increase the percentage of women in corporate board rooms.

Gabrielsen to put pressure on DnB (Dagens Næringsliv)

Ansgar Gabrielsen is prepared to use coercive measures to put more women on the DnB board of directors, if he has to attend the general assembly himself in order to do it. And with the government holding a 47 per cent stake in Den norske Bank, he can control the entire process. "We will use the means available to us as owners to raise the balance of women to 40 per cent. Selections committees that do not take this into account do not show good sense," he says.

Government commission throttles gas plant (Dagsavisen)

Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik is going to great lengths to see emissions-free gas-fired power plants built. But now the Government’s own gas commission says construction must be put off for a while yet. The technology must be tested first. So the battle over gas-fired power plants once again stirs up controversy in Norwegian politics. The Government and the Christian Democrats have banked on the possibility of bypassing the test plant and building a full-scale production plant right away. But the gas commission calls for more research and testing first.

Long distance trains may stop (Dagsavisen)

The politicians will soon be given an ultimatum: either beef up rail services or cut them down! A confidential letter to Minister of Transport and Communications Torild Skogsholm from the National Rail Administration presents an analysis of the potential for saving money by dropping long-distance passenger services and focusing on mass transit in the urban areas instead. NOK 2.4 billion could be saved over the next 15 years by cutting long-distance rail passenger services between Oslo and Stavanger, Bergen and Trondheim, as well as the Nordland and Kongsvinger lines.

Central bank anticipates high wage growth (Dagens Næringsliv)

After yesterday’s meeting of the Norges Bank’s executive board, central bank governor Svein Gjedrem announced that Norges Bank’s key interest rate, the sight deposit rate, will remain unchanged at 6.5 per cent. He also indicated that we are not to expect any interest rate reductions in the near future. The decision of the board is based on the assessments published in Norges Bank’s Inflation Report, which predicts that annual wage growth in Norway will remain stable at around five per cent for the coming period (2002-2004).

Elite pensioners want more (Aftenposten)

A group of former pillars of society which includes six bishops, two chiefs of defence staff, a dozen generals, two police chiefs, seven ambassadors, four county governors, director-generals of fisheries and customs, a large group of professors and a director of public roads have formed a pressure group, the likes of which have never been seen here in Norway. This exhalted group of disgruntled pensioners has received support for its cause from the government employee unions in the three major labour confederations. Each of the individuals in this group have lost up to NOK 92,000 in annual pensions because they had retired before the Storting approved a pension a year and a half ago. They have met with Minister of Labour and Government Administration Victor Normann, though without receiving any promises. "There are more important things to spend money on," he says.

Worth noting

• Voter turnout has declined in recent years, yet few voters are habitual truants. Only one per cent failed to vote in all three general elections held between 1989 and 1997. (Aftenposten)
• Centre Party leaders admit that many of the party’s policy goals in recent years are no longer good politics. The party is struggling to find the proper way forward, but influential people want the party to "rediscover itself". (Nationen)
• As of 1 March, inhabitants of government refugee centres will have to start paying their living expenses if they receive earned income for over a certain length of time. (NTB)
• Businesses with women board members do better than businesses with all-male boards. And the more women there are, the higher the profits, according to a master’s thesis by Elisabeth Kleveland at the Norwegian School of Management (BI). (Dagens Næringsliv)
• Kværner has spent NOK 56 million getting rid of executives it no longer needs. This money has paid for golden severance packages and pension deals for a small number of former executives. (Dagbladet)
• The Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO) yesterday revealed plans to merge with the Federation of Norwegian Commercial and Service Enterprises (HSH). The two employer’s organizations together represent member companies with as many employees as the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) has members. (Dagsavisen)
• Spoiled food is behind a rise in food poisoning statistics. Figures from the National Institute of Public Health show a record number of cases of food poisoning last year. Occurrences of food poisoning have more than doubled since 1996. Poultry seem to be among the most serious offenders. (Nationen)
• Cellist Truls Mørk was awarded the prestigious Grammy Award in the USA on Wednesday for the Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra) for Britten Cello Suites 1 – 3. (NTB)

Today's comment (Dagsavisen)

Central bank governor Svein Gjedrem has once again disappointed the Norwegian people, having chosen to leave key interest rates unchanged. Mr. Gjedrem would not even promise any reductions in the near future. Oddly enough, it is the popular anticipations of good times ahead that have induced Mr. Gjedrem to take a cautious line. But we have long felt that Mr. Gjedrem has been overly cautious. Norges Bank rightly points out that the slump in the international economy has had only a limited impact on the Norwegian economy, and that we are entering a period of strong growth in the private economy. Norges Bank anticipates low inflation this year as a result of tax relief and lower energy prices. At the same time, it projects an annual wage growth of five per cent for the next two years. However, the strength of the economy will keep import prices down. This may look good to Norwegian consumers, but it could cause trouble for Norwegian industry. Still, the outlook for the Norwegian economy is unusually good, and the signs of global recovery seen by Norges Bank reinforce this view.