PETERSEN CRITICISES CHR.DEMOCRATS, SAYS LABOUR HOLDS THE KEY (Dagens Næringsliv - Saturday)

Conservative Party chairman Jan Petersen is critical of the Christian Democrats for the stand taken by them against EU membership in the next electoral term. He believes Norway may apply for membership before 2005. "Labour holds the key," says Mr. Petersen, but the hopes of EU advocates for winning the Christian Democrats over to their side were dashed by Christian Democratic programme committee chairman Einar Steensnæs, who stated an interview published in Dagens Næringsliv on Friday that a debate on EU membership will not be necessary in Norway before 2005. This means that the Christian Democrats have effectively shut the door for EU membership in the next electoral term (2001-2005).

LABOUR INSPECTORATE CALLS FOR DRUG ABUSE TEST LEGISLATION (Aftenposten)

A disturbing rise in the number of motorists caught driving under the influence of narcotics has convinced the Labour Inspectorate that it is time to discuss the problem. At a number of workplaces, unions and employers have agreed on various testing regimes for determining whether employees are drug abusers. The Labour Inspectorate feels such testing programmes should be regulated by law.

KVÆRNER RAID: A FAVOUR BETWEEN FRIENDS? (Dagens Næringsliv)

Kværner employee representative Rolf Utgård believes the sale of the Bergesen shipping line’s Kværner stock to Aker Maritime was a favour by Petter C.G. Sundt, a major shareholder in Bergesen, to Kjell Inge Røkke. "One may ask whether this was good for Bergesen’s other shareholders, or if it was simply a favour performed by Mr. Sundt for his friend, Mr. Røkke," says Mr. Utgård. Mr. Sundt denies the allegations.

AIRPORT SEEKS PERMISSION TO INCREASE TOXIC DISCHARGES (Aftenposten-Sunday)

An application from the Oslo International Airport at Gardermoen presents a ticklish problem to the Norwegian Pollution Control Authority (SFT). The management at Gardermoen wants permission for a substantial increase in its use of environmentally toxic de-icing chemicals. It says that if it is not allowed to use more of these chemicals, the airport will have to be closed for much of the winter. Gardermoen is already using four times its permitted maximum, and even though these chemicals are showing up in groundwater tests, it seeks approval for its present consumption for aircraft de-icing, in addition to a 50 per cent increase in application rates to runways and taxiways.

BJERKE WILL CONSIDER GARDERMOEN APPLICATION (Aftenposten)

Minister of the Environment Siri Bjerke is not inclined to relax the strict rules in effect to protect groundwater from contamination by toxins, but if the application from the Oslo International Airport at Gardermoen to increase its discharge of toxins lands on her desk, she will consider it. "If the Norwegian Pollution Control Authority sends the application to me, I will give the airport management’s argumentation serious consideration. But for now, I see no reason to change the guidelines for toxic discharges to drinking water," she says.

GOVERNMENT CORPORATIONS HEADING FOR THE STOCK MARKET (Verdens Gang)

State-owned corporations going public are queued up for admission to the Oslo Stock Exchange, with Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg urging them on. Telenor and Statoil are just the two most widely publicized cases. Statoil is the most controversial of the corporations the Labour Government wants to open up to private investors in the course of the next few months, and the privatization of Telenor is already well under way. But Mr. Stoltenberg’s list of companies to take public is much longer. So far, this list is restricted to industrial enterprises in which few see any point in retaining whole or partial state ownership. But there are other government corporations whose managers are chafing for their freedom.

EXPOSURE OF CHILD-ABUSERS MAY HURT THE CHILDREN (Aftenposten)

Commissioner for Children Trond Waage wonders whether public exposure of convicted paedophiles may place a burden on abused children and frighten offenders underground. Mr. Waage believes current legislation gives police the necessary means to inform local communities when persons convicted of sexually abusing children move in. He does not know how actively the provision in question is used, but he does not believe further exposure of paedophiles is necessary.

PROGRESS MAKING HEADWAY (Nationen)

The Progress Party is up two points to a record 23.2 per cent rating in Din Mening/Norsk Statistikk’s political barometer for July. Labour continues to slide and is now down to 29.3 per cent, leaving them only 6 percentage points ahead. The Centre Party gained the most in this survey, but its ally, the Christian Democrats, lost most and is down to 13.5 per cent.

WORTH NOTING

• Kjell Magne Bondevik (Chr.Dem.) will not take part in any campaign against Carl I. Hagen and the Progress Party. Instead, he has lashed out at Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. "This is obviously a tactical manoeuvre. Mr. Stoltenberg is trying to paint a threatening picture of an alternative to his Government which has no basis in reality," says Mr. Bondevik. (Dagbladet-Saturday)
• The Government has spent NOK 870 million buying up milk quotas over the past four years. 3,500 dairy farmers have sold off their quotas and have stopped producing milk. (Nationen-Saturday)
• Norske Skog acquired Tasman Pulp & Paper in New Zealand yesterday, making it one of the world’s largest manufacturers of newsprint. (Dagens Næringsliv-Saturday)
• Kidnappings in which children are taken out of Norway have increased over 100 per cent in the past five years. "The reason for this increase is that we have become a much more international society, and more Norwegians are finding partners from other countries," says Erik Jendal of the Ministry of Justice. (Verdens Gang)
• Norwegians can now cross the border to Sweden and by Norwegian beer for half of what they pay at home. The beer is brewed in Norway but bottled and sold in Sweden—to Norwegians. (Aftenposten)
• The Progress Party proposes that names, addresses and photos of everyone convicted of sexual abuse of children in Norway should be published on the Internet. Though illegal in Sweden, a website has recently published the identities of 28 paedophile men there. (Dagbladet-Sunday)

TODAY’S COMMENT from Dagbladet

Graffiti has been a constant problem for the Oslo underground, but things have taken a turn for the worse, with passengers threatened by youths bent on destroying property. Graffiti and trashing are becoming a major problem, with a noticeable impact on the general public. Graffiti is part of an extremely individualistic global youth culture whose roots are to be found in the prevailing social conditions and winds of ideology blowing across the world’s social landscapes. But they also present a challenge to those responsible for maintaining law and order. It is a commendable that the Nordic railways, subject to constant harassment, have now joined forces in an effort to combat the problem. Creative young people should have other outlets. Regardless of the nature of the problem, however, society cannot accept the destruction of our common environment by a few.

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