Silenced by Foreign Ministry (Aftenposten)

Lasse Qvigstad, counsellor on legal and justice issues at the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, was refused permission by the Foreign Ministry to publish an article on the USA’s controversial military tribunals. The Foreign Ministry and Ambassador Knut Vollebæk halted the article because they were worried that the USA would interpret Mr Qvigstad’s comments as Norway’s official stance on the issue. Mr Qvigstad is now thinking of raising the matter with the Storting’s Ombudsman for Public Administration. "As I see it the issue revolves around how far a government ministry can go in denying a civil servant the opportunity to participate in public debate. Of course I recognize our duty of loyalty, but I am concerned with how far the duty to fall into line with official policy extends," said Mr Qvigstad.

Labour local authorities go private (Dagsavisen)

26 local authorities have now chosen private pension insurance cover in preference to KLP, the local authorities’ own life insurance company. 11 of these local authorities are run by the Labour Party, a fact characterized as surprising by Gunhild Johansen, deputy leader of the Norwegian Union of Municipal Employees (AOF). The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) and the AOF have been waging a long battle to prevent private insurance companies selling pension insurance to local authorities because they claim that the private insurance companies infringe the general agreement on wages and employment conditions by making it more expensive to insure women and older employees.

Healthcare workers silenced (Dagsavisen 31.12)

From the New Year doctors and nurses will have to keep their criticism within the confines of the new healthcare regions, whose chief executives are demanding absolute loyalty and are refusing to allow healthcare workers to publicly criticize decisions made by management. "Discussions regarding hospital conditions cannot be carried out solely behind closed doors," said Hans Petter Aarseth, president of the Norwegian Medical Association, who adds that employees must always have the opportunity to participate in debates regarding healthcare issues.

Petersen doubtful about new EU membership debate (Dagbladet 29.12 and 30.12)

Foreign Minister Jan Petersen does not think there will be a new EU membership debate ahead of the 2005 general election. The Conservative Party leader and EU membership supporter therefore disagrees with his coalition colleague Einar Steensnæs from the Euro-sceptic Christian Democratic Party. "Neither the introduction of the euro nor the expansion of the European Union will affect Norwegians’ views on EU membership," said Mr Petersen. Reiulf Steen, high-profile Labour politician and former leader of the European Movement in Norway said it was "scandalous" that the man who carries the main responsibility for Norway’s external relations "should wish to put a block on debate surrounding the most important foreign policy challenge Norway is facing."

Bad schools to be named (Aftenposten 31.12)

Oslo’s schools are to be weighed and measured by the local authority’s education department. How good are they really? We are not talking about a one-off survey, but a continuous assessment of the quality of each individual school. And the results will be published on the internet, so that pupils and parents can find out where they stand. The Norwegian Union of Teachers fears that schools which are revealed to be poor will be stigmatized in a way that is impossible to rectify.

Record number of asylum-seekers (Verdens Gang 31.12)

Persecution, harassment and poverty led 15,000 asylum-seekers to Norway in 2001. At least 10,000 of them will probably have their applications for asylum rejected and be sent home after several months at a refugee reception centre. It cost the Norwegian state over NOK 1 billion to house asylum-seekers at reception centres around the country.

Brighter outlook ahead (Dagens Næringsliv)

Lars Wilhelmsen, the Director General of Labour, envisages that on average 70,000 will be completely unemployed this year. This represents a 10 per cent increase compared to last year. During the first half-year unemployment figures will exceed 70,000, but will drop back later on. The picture is not gloomy for the year as a whole. "I think the trend will turn during the second quarter. Demand for labour will rise sharply again during the spring," said an optimistic Mr Wilhelmsen.

Worth Noting

• Kjell Magne Bondevik has announced greater Norwegian efforts for peace, economic development and the fight against poverty. The Prime Minister’s New Year speech focused heavily on international affairs. (Dagsavisen)
• Jens Stoltenberg is surprised that Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik made absolutely no mention of Europe in his New Year speech. "And that on the historic day we see today, in which 12 of our neighbours introduce a common currency," said Mr Stoltenberg. (NTB)
• Norway will not automatically follow the USA if the military campaign is transferred to other locations than Afghanistan. So far the Storting has given approval for Norwegian participation only in the Afghanistan region, even though neither the UN Security Council nor Nato has placed geographic limitations on the USA’s right to defend itself. (Dagsavisen 30.12)
• Each year for several years 500-600 jobs for architects have been advertised as vacant. This is five times the number of architects qualifying each year. Architects are concerned that too few are being trained, because large numbers of practicing architects are now approaching retirement age. (Dagens Næringsliv 31.12)
• During the first 11 months of the year the police have spent NOK 87 million to deport people from the country. This corresponds to an average of NOK 18,000 per deportation. (Aftenposten)
• One in five consumers supports Agriculture Minister Lars Sponheim’s view that choice and quality are more important than price when it comes to food, according to an opinion poll carried out by Sentio-Norsk Statistikk. (Nationen)
• Environment Minister Børge Brende is to invest in climate control measures in Romania. The investment is intended to give Norway emission quotas. The agreement was signed on the Friday before Christmas. (Dagens Næringsliv)

Today’s comment from Dagbladet

In his New Year speech yesterday Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik reminded us that those who are employed in our public health service now have the state as their employer. He assured viewers and listeners that it is the Government’s intention to provide a better hospital service to all citizens based on the hospital reform plan. This is an excellent ambition, but it assumes that there continues to be well-informed, professional debate within the health service about both principles and individual cases. It is therefore worrying when the chief executives of the new hospital regions so strongly underline that healthcare workers must fall into line with the formal decisions that are made. Doctors, nurses and others are not to be allowed to publicly argue against their managers. Such principles may be acceptable in the private sector, but hospitals belong to all citizens and it must be the duty of employees to notify the public of things which they feel are wrong. If not, there can easily grow up a culture of sweeping things under the carpet, so that errors are not corrected.