Joint EU negotiations for Norway and Iceland (Dagsavisen)

Labour Party chairman Thorbjørn Jagland says that Norway should consider applying for EU membership during this parliamentary term, and do it in conjunction with Iceland. The Labour leader made this surprising statement in a programme broadcast on NRK television. If by next year Norway has decided to send a third application to join the EU, we should ensure we start negotiations at the same time as Iceland. "By negotiating EU membership together with Iceland, it is possible we can achieve a different, and better, fisheries agreement," said Mr Jagland.

Labour criticism of Jagland’s EU proposal (NTB)

Labour leader Thorbjørn Jagland has been criticized by fellow party members for his latest comments on a renewal of the EU membership debate. "I do not think that this is the issue we should be discussing right now. If you want fewer people to belong to the Labour Party and lose all those who oppose EU membership, then you should start that kind of debate. But I think it would be unwise," said Grethe Fossum, a member of the Labour Party’s executive committee.

Socialist Left Party aims to beat Labour (Dagsavisen)

According to today’s poll, the Socialist Left Party is significantly larger than Labour. "The Socialist Left Party could become the keynote party on the left, and win more support than Labour at the next election," said Øystein Djupedal, deputy leader of the Socialist Left Party. In today’s poll the Socialist Left Party is backed by 18.8 per cent of the electorate, making it the country’s third largest party. Labour can muster the support of 17.3 per cent of voters. All three parties in the governing coalition have lost support – by a total of six percentage points. The Conservatives slide farthest, down 3.1 points to 20.3 per cent, while the Progress Party move ahead 2.8 points to 24.5 per cent.

Yes to more expensive food (Nationen)

53 per cent of the population would be willing to pay more for their food in order to maintain the Norwegian farming industry and prevent the depopulation of outlying areas. 31 per cent want more imports and cheaper food, according to a recent survey. "I am not surprised that the agricultural sector has such strong support and goodwill among the people. It is the result of ignorance about Norwegian farming methods and the fact that people have been systematically duped by the farming lobby," said professor Normann Ånesland of the Agricultural University of Norway. Five out of ten of those questioned had no idea how much a Norwegian farmer on average receives in state subsidies.

Increased use of Norway’s oil revenues (Aftenposten)

Industry feels it is being killed off by the strength of the Norwegian krone. The engineering and manufacturing industries, as well as the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO), are now asking the Storting to spend less of the country’s oil revenues next year than has been planned. "If the difference in interest rates between Norway and our trading partners is greater than one percentage point, we should spend less of our oil revenues," said Karl Nysterud, president of the Federation of Norwegian Engineering Industries.

Undeclared work halved (Aftenposten)

The amount of work going undeclared has been halved since 1989, and fewer of us accept cash payments without VAT. The typical person earning ‘black’ money is a young man with little formal education. This is the conclusion drawn by the Directorate of Taxes and the Frisch Centre for Social Economics at the University of Oslo, after carrying out a survey of 2000 Norwegians who were asked about their attitudes to undeclared working.

Oil assets sold off cheap (Dagens Næringsliv)

Petroleum and Energy Minister Einar Steensnæs is pleased that the Government yesterday sold off oil assets to the tune of NOK 8.4 billion. Norsk Hydro bought 40 per cent of them for NOK 3.5 billion. It had been expected that the Ministry would make NOK 15 billion on the sale of this part of the State Direct Financial Interest (SDFI) in Norway’s oil assets.

Worth Noting

1. Foreign Minister Jan Petersen agrees with Labour leader Thorbjørn Jagland that we should join Iceland in negotiating EU membership. "But we must not start a process which ends up in a third no," underlined Mr Petersen. (Aftenposten)
2. The Labour Party is facing its worst ever crisis, despite the efforts of Jens Stoltenberg and his team of advisers, ad men and media friends. "Unproductive policies have turned into panic," says political scientist Trond Nordby about the situation Labour now finds itself in after Thorbjørn Jagland threw in the towel. (Klassekampen)
3. A bitter dispute about overtime payments for the police means that 4,000 asylum-seekers are now sitting waiting to be deported. The price tag: an extra NOK 1.2 million per day. (Aftenposten)
4. Defence Minister Kristin Krohn Devold has put on the brakes. 200 tracked vehicles previously mothballed by the army will now not be turned into scrap metal even though they have already been sent to the scrapyard. The plan now is for 800 army surplus vehicles to be put up for sale. Potential purchasers have protested loudly against the decision to put them in the crusher instead of selling them. (Aftenposten)
5. Doctors should not inform relatives about the risks of inherited disease if to do so would go against the wishes of the patient, says the Norwegian Biotechnology Advisory Board. A change in the legislation eighteen months ago allowed doctors in certain circumstances to set aside their duty of confidentiality to the patient. The Biotechnology Advisory Board now wants the ban reintroduced. (Vårt Land)
6. The crisis in the salmon farming industry took an unexpected turn yesterday when Norway withdrew its demand that the EU abolish its minimum price for salmon. The about-face is due to fears of tough EU counter-measures, as well as improvements in salmon prices. (Aftenposten)
7. The Postal Administration has halted the transformation of 150 post offices into supermarkets with a post office counter. With a price tag of NOK 3.3 million per post office, the transformation has become too expensive, reports NRK. The plan was to have a total of 330 combined post offices and shops. (NTB)
8. How would you like to have the whole of the Lofot sea to yourself? Well, now is you chance. At Easter the professional fishermen are being given shore leave, while the sea is opened up to sports fishermen. (Dagbladet)

Today’s comment from Verdens Gang

Today in the Eidsivating Court of Appeal, presiding judge Odd Jarl Pedersen, will sum up in the appeal of the four people accused in connection with the Orderud murder case. After that the jury will retire to consider their verdict. The final conclusion is therefore in sight with regard to the case’s main question – whether one or more of the accused are guilty of the triple murder which took place at the Orderud family farm in 1999. The Orderud case is without doubt one of the most astonishing criminal cases in Norwegian legal history. In terms of public interest it can only be compared with the trial of Vidkun Quisling in 1945 and the impeachment proceedings against the Selmer government in 1883/84.