Business cycle tax abandones (Aftenposten)

The business cycle tax on commercial property has been abandoned following yesterday’s compromise agreement between the Labour Party and the centre alliance. The Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO) has applauded the move. The construction industry can now resume work on projects that had been postponed, without worrying about the much criticised tax, which was the result of a budget compromise between the Labour Party and the centre last autumn. The tax would have come into effect from 2002, so no one has had to pay anything yet.funding.

Kosmo says no to job seeking immigrants (Verdens Gang)

Minister of Labour and Government Administration Jørgen Kosmo has declared a resounding no to east European job-seekers who would like to move to Norway. His consistent rejection of the call by the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO) to allow such immigration can also be seen as a signal that the Labour Party does not intend to give Carl I. Hagen’s Progress Party any additional anti-immigration ammunition in the run-up to the general election this year. "I see no reason to allow free immigration from eastern Europe. The labour market is not suffering from any acute short-term shortage which would justify us opening our borders to the East," says Mr Kosmo.

EEA agreement good enough (Dagsavisen)

According to the leaders of several large and small Norwegian businesses that Dagsavisen has spoken to, the EEA Agreement works well enough. But they would like to see the Norwegian krone replaced by the euro. They also say that the EEA Agreement ensures a level competitive playing field, and that they have no negative experiences with EEA legislation. At its annual conference today, the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO) will be discussing Europe.

Norway spends NOK 63 million on EEA surveillande (Nationen)

This year Norway will contribute NOK 63 million towards the operating costs of EFTA’s European Surveillance Authority (ESA). The money will be spent making sure that Norway does not infringe any of the EU’s directives. ESA’s budget is not on the public record, but salaries account for 46 per cent. Norwegian tax payers stump up almost NOK 1 million for each ESA employee.

Commission condemns unethical stock brokers (Aftenposten)

In the past few weeks several stock brokers have been forced to resign on suspicion of irregular activities. Eirik Bunæs of the Banking, Insurance and Securities Commission, believes this indicates that the senior executives of stock broking firms are more concerned with revenues than with ethics. It would seem that some Norwegian stock brokers are not particularly careful about the kind of people they employ.

Teachers refuse to sooperate (Aftenposten)

Last year the teachers came off best in the annual round of wage negotiations, but now they are threatening to break off their cooperation with the Government on an action plan for schools if measures to increase efficiency lead to budget cuts in the education sector. Education Minister Trond Giske says he will not be held responsible if the teachers carry out their threat. He blames local politicians who hide behind the agreement with the teachers, but cannot prevent cuts in their local education budgets.

Wolves become election issue (Dagbladet)

The management of Norway’s wolf population and other predators could end up as one of the general election’s major issues. There is little common ground between the opposing sides in the Storting. The Government, on the one hand, is ready to announce the final extent of the wolf protection zone, in line with the 1997 report on predator management which had the backing of a majority in the Storting of that time. On the other hand there are a number of strong coalitions in the Storting which have proposed four alternative management strategies for Norway’s wolves/predators. These proposals will be debated this month, and could lead to the end of the country’s current moderate line.

UN may open doors for Norwegian business (Dagens Næringsliv)

Norway’s seat on the UN Security Council may open doors for Norwegian businesses. State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Raymond Johansen says that active participation in peace processes generates an interest which in turn leads to contracts both in the aid sector and in the production of oil and gas.

Theology professor backs gay marriage (Vårt Land)

Professor Jan-Olav Henriksen is going against the teaching of the Free Faculty of Theology (MF) when he gives his support to gay marriages. "There are no important ethical reasons why people who have a clear-cut homosexual identity should not live together in a formalized, life-long marriage," says professor Henriksen.

Worth noting

• Rangar Bøe Elgsaas beat Rune Gerhardsen to win fifth place on the Labour Party’s list of candidates to represent Oslo at the next general elections. Mr Elgsaas won his place after a tough and bitter battle. (Aftenposten)

• Experts fear an epidemic of deadly antibiotic-resistant bacteria when Norwegian patients start being treated at hospitals abroad. The capacity of Norwegian hospitals’ isolation units is already stretched to the limit. The first patients will be sent to Germany on Monday. (Dagbladet)
• Last year the Register of Business Enterprises registered more new companies than ever before. Optimism and entrepreneurship seem to be evenly distributed throughout the country. (Nationen)
• The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) has so far refused to accept the challenge from the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry to drop its financial support for the political parties. "We will make our own decision on this matter," says LO. (Aftenposten)
• In a few weeks’ time the Government may decide to permit the export of whale products. If it does, 600 tonnes of frozen whale blubber will soon find its way out of storage and into foreign markets, and the whaling industry will go back to a normal level of profitability. (NTB)
• The Ford Motor Company is to invest over NOK 1 billion in its Norwegian electric car subsidiary, Think, in Aurskog, eastern Norway. Jobs at the Aurskog factory are therefore secure for another three years. A completely new model will be launched on the US market next year. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• More beer than ever before is being smuggled into Norway. The Conservative Party is calling for a NOK 10 per litre cut in beer prices, which would mean a 0.33 litre bottle of beer would cost around NOK 10 plus deposit. (Verdens Gang)

Today's comment from Aftenposten

Today the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO) opens its annual conference under the heading "Europe in Norwegian". It is one of the very few initiatives in Norway today whose aim is to keep alive some interest in our relations with the EU. The main speaker is the EU Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, Chris Patten, from the UK. Mr Patten’s message to Norwegian media yesterday was crystal clear. Time does not stand still, the EU is moving on, cooperation is intensifying – and it will become increasingly difficult for the EU to give Norway the special treatment it has up to now. Norway, along with Iceland and Liechtenstein, is a party to the EEA Agreement, and Mr Patten made it clear that the three countries cannot expect any increased influence in the negotiations being held with the countries from Eastern Europe who have applied for EU membership. In a number of instances, the solutions Norway found in the 1990s, often for the problems of the 1980s, are increasingly out of tune with current requirements. EU Commissioner Chris Patten gave us a timely reminder that the EU is moving away from Norway, as did the Foreign Ministry in its recent report on Europe. It is a reminder that may do something to counteract the apathy that for a long time has typified the Norwegian public’s attitude to the rest of Europe – and to the political developments in our own back yard.