Norway unprepared to fight foot-and-mouth disease (NTB)

When foot-and-mouth disease broke out in Britain, Norway was not well enough prepared to fight an outbreak if it had spread to this country, according to government veterinary director Eivind Liven. In an interview with NRK, he said the Norwegian defence against contagious animal diseases had its weak spots, despite the emergency plans having been in place for years. Mr Liven was surprised that there was so much travel going on between Norway and other countries, that there were a large number of foreign sheep shearers in the country and that in Norway too so many animals were transported over such long distances. Veterinary inspectors also discovered that the handling of waste materials was inadequate.

EEA Agreement may be renegotiated (Aftenposten)

A group of experts who have studied the EEA Agreement have pointed out a number of weaknesses and are recommending that it undergo a "technical upgrade". Among other things, the lack of political dialogue with the EU has become increasingly obvious. Before the report was discussed at a meeting of EEA foreign ministers yesterday evening, Norwegian Foreign Minister Thorbjørn Jagland admitted that "we will have to carefully consider" any changes to the EEA Agreement.

No-deposit mortgages from State Housing Bank (Aftenposten)

The Norwegian State Housing Bank has introduced a new type of mortgage which is intended to enable young people without a deposit to buy an apartment in the Oslo area. The new scheme will allow purchasers to borrow up to 90 per cent of the property’s price. The remainder can be financed through a first-time-buyer loan from the local authority. Initially the scheme is limited to Oslo and eight neighbouring counties. To qualify for the new no-deposit mortgage the property must cost no more than NOK 800,000 for a 30 sq. metre bedsit, or NOK 1.6 million for a 70 sq. metre two-bedroomed flat.

Bad loser (Dagens Næringsliv)

Chief executive Björn Wahlroos of the Finnish financial services company, Sampo, has called Den norske Bank’s chief executive a bad loser in the battle for control of the Norwegian insurance company, Storebrand. DnB chief executive Svein Aaser has recently spent over NOK 1 billion buying Storebrand shares. Among the sellers was DnB-owned insurance company Vital Forsikring. DnB now controls just under 10 per cent of Storebrand’s shares and is now in a position to derail Sampo’s takeover bid, which requires acceptance from 90 per cent of Storebrand’s shareholders, even without the help of the National Insurance Fund or Orkla, whose shareholdings have up to now been considered vital to Sampo’s success.

No Storebrand solution in sight (Dagbladet)

Den norske Bank’s substantial purchases of Storebrand shares could lead to a protracted war of attrition over the Norwegian insurance company. Neither the Finns nor the Norwegians have the least intention of throwing in the towel, and everyone is in a position to block everyone else. With their newly acquired 9.76 per cent of Storebrand’s shares, DnB can stop the Finnish financial services company Sampo’s takeover bid. At the same time it is clear that DnB’s bid and proposed merger between the two companies is not nearly tempting enough to win the support of the required majority of Storebrand shareholders. Stein Erik Hagen, Orkla, the National Insurance Fund and Skandia can each block a bid from DnB. The situation therefore seems completely gridlocked.

No time for house calls (Dagsavisen)

The new primary GP scheme means that doctors no longer have time to make house calls on those who are so ill they cannot come to the surgery, according to the Norwegian Medical Association. Doctors are now demanding that the Oslo local authority establish an emergency medical service so that people will be assured of medical help when their primary GP is unable to make a house call. "The primary GPs are responsible for emergency treatment during the daytime. That is what they are paid for and that is what they themselves have decided," replies municipal commissioner Bårde Folke Fredriksen (Conservative)

Most money laundering tips not investigated (Aftenposten)

Banks and financial institutions are legally obliged to tip off the National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime about funds they suspect are the proceeds from smuggling, illegal narcotics or alcohol sales, tax evasion or other forms of unlawful activity. The tips come flooding in, but eight out of ten are not investigated. "We try to focus our efforts on the really big cases or those cases which represent a new way of laundering money," says investigating attorney Roar Østby, of the National Authority’s money laundering unit.

Worth Noting

• The National Police Security Service (POT) believes there are grounds for the charges which have been brought against journalist Stein Viksveen. VG understands that this is the substance of the POT’s recommendation, which was sent to the public prosecutor on Monday. (Verdens Gang)
• The Storting has decided that Norway will purchase "Ulla" class submarines. The future therefore looks extremely uncertain for the Nordic submarine project, dubbed "Viking". Four years and a total of NOK 120 million have so far been spent developing the Nordic submarine plans. (Aftenposten)
• A Norwegian shopping basket full of groceries costs 62 per cent more than it would in the EU. While food prices are rising here at home, people are taking shopping trips to Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Almost forty per cent of Norwegians travel to Sweden to shop for food. (Dagsavisen)
• The well-known private investigator, Ola Thune, has been appointed to head the National Bureau of Crime Investigation’s Murder Squad, with the rank of police inspector. Mr Thune left the Bureau in 1992 to establish his own private investigation business after disagreements with the Bureau’s then leadership. (Dagbladet)
• The Norwegian Theatre and Orchestra Association has published its theatre audience statistics for 2000. Almost 200,000 more people attended the theatre last year compared to the year before. This substantial increase comes after audience figures have remained stable for many years. (Nationen)

Today’s comment from Verdens Gang

All in all the Nedre Romerike Court of Preliminary Examination made the right decision in remanding Per and Veronica Orderud and Kristin Kirkemo Haukeland in custody. Initially they have been remanded in custody for eight weeks, but if the ruling is not overturned on appeal, we can expect to see it repeated for the entire period up until the Orderud murder case comes before the appeal court next year. The Nedre Romerike Court of Preliminary Examination’s ruling was in line with the prosecution’s request. The defence attorneys for the three defendants all argued strongly for their clients’ release. The Court’s decision to remand the three has been sent to the Court of Appeal, and could go all the way to the Supreme Court. However, a great many people would find it difficult to understand if the three defendants were set free after being found guilty of the premeditated murder of three people and receiving a 21-year prison sentence. We agree with the prosecution’s argument that allowing individuals who have been convicted of such a serious offence to remain at liberty until the appeal hearing would offend people’s sense of natural justice. We see that being remanded in custody is a major inconvenience for those concerned – not least for Per Orderud, who will probably have to wind up his farming business in its current form. However, considering the seriousness of the crime for which they have been convicted, such qualms are of no importance. In an ordinary murder case the media would barely have registered the fact that the defendant was remanded in custody until the appeal had been heard. But the Orderud case is no ordinary murder case. People are following developments closely, which is probably an advantage for those convicted of the crime. It means that the authorities cannot do anything which offends the Norwegian people’s sense of justice without it immediately being made public. In that light, the publicity surrounding the case strengthens the rule of law.