MAJORITY AT THE FOURTH ATTEMPT (Aftenposten)

Norway was voted into the UN Security Council yesterday, with effect from the New Year, but not before a real election thriller had been played out. Unusually, and quite dramatically, the UN’s member nations needed four rounds of voting before they finally managed to decide which fifth country is to take its place on the Security Council for the next two years. Norwegian diplomats were forced to wait in breathless anticipation for far longer than was good for them until, at last, Norway’s much desired place was assured. But it was a close run thing.

BONDEVIK WANTS NEW DEBATE ON GAS-FIRED POWER STATIONS (Dagsavisen)

The centre alliance could demand a carbon tax on gas-fired power stations as part of its budget negotiations with the Labour Government. If they get what they want, the centre alliance parties will have won half a victory in the prestige-laden gas-fired power station controversy. The environment and the business cycle tax are the two issues over which the centre is most at odds with the Government. An extra NOK 50 million for the environment, a conclusion to the gas-fired power station debate and a change in the business cycle tax, could be enough to secure a budget agreement between Labour and the centre.

MAKING THEMSELVES ATTRACTIVE TO THE CENTRE (Aftenposten)

Both Labour ministers and party representative in the Storting were clearly happy after the first day of the debate on this year’s Speech from the Throne. It is true that the Government’s proposed budget for next year has not exactly been welcomed with open arms by the centre alliance. But for Labour the most important thing was to ensure that no doors were slammed shut. They were not, though it sounded as if Liberal chairman Lars Sponheim was sorely tempted.

KEEPING CALM (Vårt Land)

A week ago, when the Government presented its proposed budget, the centre alliance responded with noisy protests. But yesterday, when the Storting met to debate the Government’s Speech from the Throne, the wind had gone out of last week’s threats. "The Government does not have any clear line in its environment policy," complained Kjell Magne Bondevik from the podium. But no matter how much the centre alliance and the Socialist Left Party protest against the gas-fired power stations, Prime Minister Stoltenberg knows that the issue is not likely to bring down his government because there is still a majority in the Storting in favour of their construction.

RULES MAY BE CHANGED TO AVOID A CRISIS (Dagens Næringsliv)

The Government would rather change the Storting’s procedures for handling the budget than resign this autumn. Both Conservative Party chairman Jan Pettersen and centrally placed politicians from the centre alliance believe this to be the case, despite strenuous denials from Labour. The Storting changed the budget procedures in 1997. At that time it was decided that the budget’s basic framework should be approved before the individual ministerial budgets are voted on. The idea was that this method would give better control over the process. The vote on the budget framework for next year is due to take place on 28 November. There is now speculation that the Labour Party would rather change the procedures again than resign.

NHO LAUNCHES INITIATIVE TO ATTRACT FARMERS (Nationen)

The Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO) has launched an initiative to attract more farmers-owned cooperatives into the organisation. "We are not going to be the first to call for a new EU debate," says the NHO in a statement on its relations with the agricultural cooperative movement. Farmers-owned cooperatives have a combined turnover of more than NOK 30 billion.

CAUGHT IN THE BACKWASH (Aftenposten)

Jon R. Gundersen resigned yesterday as chairman of Storebrand. The rest of the board keep their seats. Mr Gundersen was heavily criticised by Storebrand’s employees after it became known that he had signed a secret agreement with now sacked chief executive Åge Korsvold, regarding the purchase of a company-owned house. Storebrand’s new chairman is Leiv L. Nergaard, a senior executive from Norsk Hydro.

WORTH NOTING

• Establishing a clearer mandate for the UN’s peacekeeping forces and making greater efforts once peace has been restored will be two of Norway’s most important objectives when the country takes its place on the UN Security Council. (Aftenposten)
• "Norway has the backing of two-thirds of the UN General Assembly. We can now pursue a broad-based Norwegian foreign policy in conjunction with the other members of the Security Council," says Foreign Minister Thorbjørn Jagland. (Dagsavisen)
• It will take 18 months before NSB, the national train company, will be in a position to increase its service to passengers. The shortage of train drivers will limit NSB’s ability to provide a departure schedule which approaches the one which the Storting and the company’s customers have been promised. (Aftenposten)
• The new opera house could become a financial headache for Cultural Affairs Minister Ellen Horn. She recently raised the cost estimates for the opera house from NOK 1.8 billion to NOK 2.05 billion. According to a new analysis, the final bill could be up to NOK 1 billion higher than first anticipated. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• The rain bucketed down. Trains stopped, several roads had to be closed and a large number of basements had to be pumped free of water. That was the situation in the South East yesterday. Today could be even worse. (Aftenposten)

TODAY’S COMMENT FROM VERDENS GANG

The first day of the debate on this year’s Speech from the Throne gave no indication of what will happen to the budget this autumn. But that came as no surprise. For the moment, all the parties are keeping their cards close to their chests. The opposition parties feel that they are best served by keeping the thumbscrews on Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and his government for as long as possible before we get any indication about what the final budget result will be. What the debate on the Speech from the Throne showed very clearly is that Labour is willing to bend over backwards with regards to the centre parties’ demands, in order to save the budget and survive as a government. The same willingness to cooperate was not so clearly evident among the centre alliance parties. They cannot hide their bitterness over the fact that it was this same Labour Party that forced them out of office in March. Winning the budget support of the Christian Democrats, the Centre Party and the Liberals will therefore be no easy task for Stoltenberg & Co. The centre alliance’s demands for changes in the budget may be hard for the Government to swallow.

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