Norwegian special forces in Afghanistan (Aftenposten)

Defence Minister Kristin Krohn Devold revealed yesterday that Norwegian commandos are taking part in the hunt for Osama bin Laden and his network. Socialist Left party chairman Kristin Halvorsen takes a dim view of Norway’s involvement in the ongoing war effort in the light of the fact that the new Government in Afghanistan has asked the Americans to halt the bombing. The Norwegian special forces are trained for three types of missions: special reconnoitring, offensive operations and military assistance.

EU referendum must come before next EU round (Dagsavisen)

A Storting majority consisting of the Conservatives, Christian Democrats and the Progress Party wishes at all costs to avoid the mistakes committed in 1972 and 1994. These three parties want to put to the voters the question of whether or not to initiate new negotiations prior to any new application for EU membership. The most adamant Eurosceptics are concerned that taking these two steps in the "wrong" order could make it easier for the Yes vote to prevail. "Acceptance of negotiations will be used by the Yes side for all it is worth," said Centre Party leader Odd Roger Enoksen.

Euroscepticism on the rise among Christian Democrats (Dagbladet)

While leading Christian Democrats dally with Eurosupporters and call for a renewed membership debate, the party rank and file are increasingly against joining the EU. Opposition to EU membership among Christian Democratic voters has averaged 75 per cent in the last 21 EU polls published in Nationen. "Christian Democrats are generally against EU membership," acknowledges the party’s deputy chairman, Odd Anders With, who in spite of his own personal convictions, which run in favour of EU membership, feels an "updated" debate is necessary.

Stoltenberg keeping quiet (Dagbladet)

Most signs now indicate that Jens Stoltenberg is ready to take over as Labour Party chairman. He declines to comment on the issue himself, leaving the incumbent, Thorbjørn Jagland, no certainty of being re-elected. As long as Mr. Stoltenberg leaves the issue of his candidacy open, though, the pressure on Mr. Jagland will continue to build. Mr. Stoltenberg will keep Mr. Jagland and the rest of the party in suspense until the nomination committee puts the question to him sometime within the next six months. Only then will he reveal how he feels about splitting the party leadership, and what party office he is interested in running for.

Culture and Church Minister may take action (Aftenposten)

Minister of Culture and Church Affairs Valgerd Svarstad Haugland will overturn the gaming machine agreement between Steen & Strøm and the Norwegian Red Cross if she finds any legal basis for doing so. Ms. Haugland is now directing an intense effort at lottery legislation and the gaming machine sector after Aftenposten reported that the Red Cross has paid over NOK 23 million for an operating company and ten years’ exclusive rights to place gaming machines in Steen & Strøm malls. "We want to make deals like this impossible for the future," says the new secretary-general of the Red Cross, Jan Egeland. The Red Cross has been warning the politicians for a long time.

Norwegian electricity cheap (Verdens Gang)

If you think electricity is expensive here in Norway, think again! In all of Europe, only Finland has lower prices for electricity. Moreover, in terms of current monetary values, electricity is no more expensive now than it was eight or nine years ago. So Norwegian consumers who pay exorbitant power bills can at least draw some comfort from the fact that things could be a lot worse.

Civil aviation administration asking for another NOK 350 million (Nationen)

The Civil Aviation Administration receives funding from the Treasury to operate the smaller airports, but the huge losses sustained by Gardermoen, totalling around NOK 100 million, are likely to have major consequences for the smallest airports. The CAA blames the politicians. "Gardermoen was supposed to give the entire Norwegian airport system a boost, but a substantial drop in air traffic has hit hard, and the small airports will feel the impact as well," says CAA communications director Merete Agerbak-Jensen.

Decline in Norwegian fish exports (Aftenposten)

The overall figures for 2001 show that the value of Norwegian fish exports dropped by 2.4 per cent and their quantity by 5.2 per cent from the year before. The total value of seafood exported from Norway was NOK 30.7 billion in 2001, which is about NOK 750 million less than the previous year.

Worth noting

• The EEA Agreement does not hold water. A debate on Norway’s relations with the EU is urgently needed, says Socialist Left deputy chairman Inge Ryan. (Aftenposten)
• According to Professor Geir Høgsnes at the University of Oslo, Finn Bergersen Jr, head of the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO), is propagating myths about industry and wages. Nurses are ridiculing the NHO’s wage proposals, the police are demanding wage increases and the Confederation of Vocational Unions is accusing the NHO of whipping up dissent. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• The Government is dropping NOK 50 million in newspaper advertising. As of 1 January, the guidelines for government advertising in the daily press no longer apply. (Aftenposten)
• Eastern Europe is the new growth market for Norwegian fish. The final export result for 2001 was NOK 4.3 billion. The industry is rejoicing in its success, but will have problems with duties as the Eastern European countries join the EU. The Fisheries Minister refuses to consider exchanging fishery quotas for market access. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• The EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) has asked for a comprehensive report on the construction of the Snøhvit gas field. In December the Bellona Foundation, an environmental organization, lodged a complaint with the ESA about the tax reductions given to the project. In the course of the spring, the ESA must decide whether the complaint is warranted, according to the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. (NTB)
• A separate ministry responsible for security and civil defence should be created, in the view of Professor Jan Hovden of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Professor Hovden, who has made a study of security for several decades, was on the government commission on the vulnerability of society. "Responsibility for national security is divided between too many players," he says. (Aftenposten)
• Last year Norwegians spent NOK 20.7 billion on gambling. Now psychiatrist Hans Olav Fekjær is having it out with Norsk Tipping, the national betting agency. "Norsk Tipping presents itself as a year-round Santa Claus, not as a pickpocket who steals money from the poor", said Dr Fekjær. Today his book on gambling addiction, the first on the subject in Scandinavia, will be published. (Dagbladet)

Today's comment from Dagsavisen:

Minister of Culture and Church Affairs Valgerd Svarstad Haugland, chairman of the Christian Democratic Party, agrees with Minister of Petroleum and Energy Einar Steensnæs, deputy chairman of the Christian Democratic Party, that it would be logical to conduct a new debate on EU membership before the next general election. We take it for granted that Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik does not disagree with his highly-placed party colleagues in their desire to promote a renewed discussion of Norway’s relationship with the EU. After all, Europe is constantly changing. It is a paradox that pro-EU Foreign Minister Jan Petersen, who is responsible for the Government’s European policy, is probably the person in the government who is least enthusiastic about a new EU debate. Normally one would expect Mr. Petersen and his pro-EU Conservative Party to show most interest in pursuing the EU discussion. But now this job has been taken over by the Christian Democrats. And this may be just as well. The Christian Democratic Party has actually never been anti-EU on principle as has, for instance, the Centre Party. The Centre Party regards its anti-EU stance as a calling, while the Christian Democrats take a more open view. Each time the EU issue has been on the agenda, the Christian Democrats have had a major impact on Norway’s decision. This will no doubt also be the case the next time around. The Centre Party will never change its opinion, nor is it likely that the Socialist Left will have a change of heart. However, it is possible that the Christian Democratic Party could debate its way into a pro-EU stance, especially if public opinion shifts to a more positive viewpoint than in the previous referenda in 1972 and 1994. As we know, all good things come in threes.