Mr. President,

When the Bondevik Government decided to resign, the Norwegian Labour Party, as the largest group in the Storting, accepted responsibility for forming a new government.

The budget agreement with the centrist parties provides a good basis for cooperation on economic policy and income distribution policy. There is a broad consensus on the main principles in our foreign and security policy.

This Government will base its policies on the Labour Party programme and will be seeking broad cooperation with the other parties in the Storting. On the various issues we will seek to achieve a majority in cooperation with parties that are prepared to contribute towards decisions that will benefit the country and receive the broadest possible support.

Mr. President,

Norway is a country of opportunity.

We have a population with a wealth of experience and expertise. We have abundant natural resources. We have an advanced welfare state, rich cultural traditions and we live in a peaceful corner of the world.

Our wealth brings with it obligations and inspires us to action.

Action to enable us to respond to:

A global knowledge economy.

Sustainable development.

A world where we face so many of the same challenges.

Technological advances, a clean environment, equitable distribution and better international control.

This is the challenge facing the world.

This is the challenge facing Norway.

Our country of opportunity did not come easily.

It was developed in the course of a century of visionary reforms, hard work and political courage.

The people who built the Norwegian welfare state were driven forward by the vision they had of employment for all and of solidarity in our own country and in the world.

This is the driving force we take with us into a new era.

The great political challenge of the last century was to lift the majority of the people so that they could enjoy the rights that had been the privilege of the few.

Norway has succeeded in this endeavour. The great majority of people in our country have a job and they enjoy security and a high level of social welfare.

Now our task is to lift the minority.

Irrespective of age, gender, belief or ethnic background: Everyone has rights. Everyone has obligations. Everyone can contribute.

Each one of us has the right – and obligation to look after ourselves and our families – and to know that when the day comes and we are no longer able, the community will be there to help.

We must have room for self-expression, room to create and revitalize.

We must have good social welfare arrangements that provide security.

Secure people are creative people.

Secure people find it easier to take risks. Norway needs them.

We want to see change in order to revitalize and make progress.

Mr. President,

To succeed, we must have a sound economy.

A sound economy is not the same as an economy with a large surplus.

A sound economy means ensuring employment for all and equitable distribution.

A sound economy means utilizing all our resources throughout the country. The most important of these is knowledge.

A sound economy means ensuring that our private sector can measure up to the best of the competition.

A sound economy means close cooperation between the social partners so that we can have low unemployment and low inflation at the same time.

Norway's real national assets are the work, knowledge and creative talents of its people.

Everyone has the right to a job.

Having a job should pay.

Having a job should be enjoyable.

Our goal is to find jobs for those who are unemployed today.

At the same time, Norway must confront a new challenge: a growing number of jobs with no-one to fill them.

There are already too few people working in the nursing and care professions. There is great demand for people with technological expertise. These important jobs will require even more people in the future.

We must mobilize new resources in all sectors of the population, including immigrant groups.

We must have a labour market that is attractive to those who can work.

We must have a labour market where fewer people are put on disablement benefit and sick leave and where room is made for the disabled.

We must have daycare facilities and social welfare arrangements that make it possible to combine work with family life.

In the area of economic policy, we are facing major challenges.

National Insurance expenditure is growing faster than the economy. And this situation will be exacerbated when there is a steep increase in the number of pensioners in a few years' time. We will see a marked increase in public expenditure in other important areas too. We will need to make priorities.

The municipalities will receive more money.

However, important tasks cannot be funded just by increasing public expenditure.

We will attach conditions, requiring recipients to be well-organized and to use the money wisely. We must be innovative in our thinking and see if we can utilize our resources in a better way, especially to allow us to focus on areas that are in need of new impetus:

Implementing the action plan for care of the elderly. Promoting education and research. Promoting health. Promoting international solidarity.

Mr. President,

The Government will pursue a forward-looking economic policy and link it more closely to IT and research policies.

The companies of the future may be where we least expect to find them. However, the focus will undoubtedly be on expertise. And knowledge and ideas will be our most important assets.

This is why education is so important and research so vital.

This is why we must implement a reform in higher and further education.

The Government will propose the introduction of a right to upper secondary education for adults who have not completed such an education previously.

We want Norway to be a leader in the field of electronic commerce. The introduction of e-commerce has lowered the price of goods and services in both the private and the public sector.

We want new technology to benefit all the people of Norway. Businesses and the general public in all parts of the country must have access to broadband communication and other new channels of communication.

This opens up exciting new prospects in our regional policy. We must mobilize human resources in both the public and the private sectors.

Urban and rural communities are dependent on each other.

The Government will pursue an active regional policy. We will take steps to relieve the pressure on urban areas and to improve opportunities for young people to buy a place of their own.

We want to develop the potential in each individual region for the benefit of the whole country.

A modern agricultural sector that supplies reasonably priced, high-quality food and that is a visible part of the Norwegian cultural landscape.

A modern fisheries sector that manages our marine resources and where Norway is a pioneer in the field of aquaculture and fishfarming.

A creative and innovative services sector.

Increased processing of metals and of our forestry and energy resources.

We will actively promote the development of biotechnology. Norway will not be left standing on the sidelines of the new technological revolution.

The Government will assess the EC-directive on a legal protection of biotechnological inventions in this light.

The Government will work for reforms in taxation policy.

Our taxes pay for what we take out in the form of social welfare and shared assets. This is why we need a sound revenue basis.

Our goal is: low tax rates, a broader tax base. Simpler rules, fewer loopholes.

Tax reforms should lead to more equitable distribution, innovation and a greater number of people choosing to take employment.

The Government will submit proposals to modernize the VAT system so that goods and services will in principle be treated the same way. There is broad political consensus on this issue.

Mr. President,

Norway should play a pioneering role in environmental policy.

The Government will follow up the general consensus on the main elements of our environmental and energy policy and will focus on renewable energy sources and energy efficiency.

Even though Norway is an energy producer, we are now having to buy electricity from other countries even in years when precipitation is normal. And the amount we need to import is increasing.

Our imports result in higher emissions in neighbouring countries.

The environmental costs of imported electricity do not figure in Norway’s environmental accounts. But for the global environment, it is a different matter.

The Government will continue efforts to make it possible for Norway to meet some of its power needs by producing electricity from Norwegian gas.

Norway will use its natural gas in accordance with our international environmental commitments. Norway will make use of the best available technology and will consistently seek to find even more environmentally sound solutions.

The Government will take the initiative for a joint programme involving the public and the private sector to develop new technology for removing the greenhouse gas CO ₂ from emissions.

The Kyoto Protocol is the first of a new generation of environmental agreements under which countries join forces in reducing emissions. Norway will be in the front line of efforts to further develop these agreements.

We advocate Norwegian participation in the World Bank’s Prototype Carbon Fund, which is to help to finance emission reductions and create a global system for emissions trading based on quotas.

Emissions trading and joint implementation will reduce emissions more quickly and encourage the transfer of technology and capital from rich to poor countries.

Mr. President,

In order to safeguard social welfare, the public sector must be strengthened. It must be revitalized.

The public sector exists to serve everyone. But it cannot do everything.

The Government will revitalize and strengthen the public sector in a dialogue with its users and local political representatives, and in cooperation with the employees and their unions.

We would like to see a broad-based discussion on solutions that will provide the best production and equitable distribution of social welfare.

The public sector delivers most of our social welfare services. But private and voluntary organizations also have a role to play.

If we cling to old solutions that are no longer effective, we will weaken confidence in the public sector. This will undermine social welfare and increase inequality. Then we all stand to lose out.

People want to be able to choose. And people expect a great deal of public services.

What the public sector does, it must do so well that people choose to use it and have confidence in the solutions it offers.

Solutions like high-quality education for all. A health service that has available capacity when we need it.

Revitalization requires thinking along new lines.

The Government has now begun to assess the division of responsibility between state, county and municipality.

In many areas their responsibilities overlap. We must do something about this. Twice as much bureaucracy does not produce twice as much social welfare.

Extensive state control does not automatically guarantee that everyone has the same options.

We must reduce the amount of red tape.

The procedures in the public administration must be simplified.

We should produce more services and less administration.

The commission that has been charged with reviewing the division of responsibility between the various levels of administration will submit its recommendation this summer. The Government will submit specific proposals to the Storting at a later date.

The Norwegian state is a major property owner. Proper management of state property requires that the state is also a professional owner.

The state has the role of both owner and regulatory authority. The Government will review the way in which state ownership is organized to find arrangements that will ensure the best results and clear lines of responsibility.

If we are to be in the front line in information and communications technology, Telenor needs new capital and new inspiration. Private capital and expertise are also welcome.

The Government will therefore propose that Telenor is listed on the stock exchange.

The Government will also submit a proposal on the future management of the state’s direct financial interests in the petroleum sector and Statoil’s ownership structure. We would like to see broad-based cooperation on long-term solutions that can be generally endorsed.

Mr. President,

In our international efforts we must seize new opportunities to create a better, safer world.

We are facing increasing globalization, rapid technological breakthroughs and major changes in the world economy.

We are facing poverty, environmental threats, refugees and epidemics.

In the space of a decade, the focus has shifted from the terror balance of the cold war to the common security needs of the global community.

Because of these global challenges, it is necessary to reform and strengthen the UN. The Government is working to secure Norway a seat on the UN Security Council for the period 2001-2002. We will give priority to efforts to promote human rights and democracy and to mobilizing international efforts to combat corruption and crime.

The Government will continue to pursue Norway’s commitment to peace and reconciliation. Our engagement in the Middle East Peace process will be maintained.

Europe’s future is also Norway’s future.

The Government will pursue a foreign policy that promotes Norwegian interests in the new Europe more strongly. We also share responsibility for peace and cooperation in our part of the world.

European cooperation is on the threshold of major changes. The new democracies are turning towards the EU. There is a real possibility that our Nordic neighbours will introduce the common European currency, the euro.

This poses a new challenge for Norway.

The Government will base its policy on the results of the 1994 referendum on EU membership and will build on the cooperation developed through the EEA Agreement and other arrangements.

We will submit a Report to the Storting on our policy towards Europe in which we will give a broad account of the challenges and opportunities in relation to Europe.

We need binding and predictable rules for world trade. We will do promote the early commencement of a new round of negotiations in the World Trade Organization.

The Government wants a national defence that are tailored to Norway’s security needs.

Norway will play an active role in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

We will take our share of the responsibility for the further development of NATO and European security policy cooperation.

We will continue to build on our close historical ties with the USA.

The other Nordic countries are Norway’s closest partners.

Russia is part of Europe and Norway’s neighbour. We will continue to develop close, long-term neighbourly relations with Russia, in particular to ensure the sound management of resources and the environment in the northern areas.

Mr. President,

The majority of people in Norway enjoy a high standard of social welfare and security. This cannot be said of the majority of people in the world.

Today half of the world population is living in poverty.

This is a shame.

The world can combat poverty. The means are there. What is needed is the political will to put them to use.

The Government will strengthen Norway’s contribution.

We want to see NGOs and the private sector play an active role.

The Government will use our development cooperation funds in targeted measures to combat poverty.

Ill hearth breeds poverty and poverty breeds ill hearth. We must and can break this vicious circle.

This year 3 million of the world’s children will die of diseases Norwegian children are vaccinated against. That is six children a minute.

We can do something about this.

We want to help to ensure that all children all over the world have access to vaccines.

The Government will propose that Norway supports and takes a leading role in the global vaccine initiative (Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization) headed by the World Bank, UNICEF, the World Health Organization and private donors.

Mr. President,

We want our children to be able to look ahead and know that this is our society – a society for everyone – a society we will take responsibility for.

Not everyone is able say that today. All of us share a responsibility for dealing with social exclusion, combating bullying and helping people – young and old – who have psychological problems.

Our society must be one of greater tolerance and respect.

We must respect other people’s views, orientation, culture and traditions.

We must show tolerance for the majority’s wishes and the minority’s needs.

We must not tolerate crime, drug pushers and people who actively spread xenophobia.

Tolerance and respect for diversity is an important indication of the quality of our society and community.

Our cultural policy must be inclusive and promote diversity in Norway.

Culture and sports are an important part of our efforts to promote creativity and innovation. Literature, theatre, cinema, art, music and dance – new and old forms of expression. Culture should challenge us and enrich our lives.

Mr. President,

The Government exists to serve the people.

We take up our duties with humility and optimism.

Norway is truly a country of opportunity.