Vesta says rail company must bear full cost of train crash (Aftenposten)

The Vesta insurance company is demanding that the National Railway Administration bear the full cost of the fatal train crash at Åsta in January last year. This includes costs relating to equipment, financial loss and expenses passengers incurred as a result of the accident. Vesta says that the public inquiry clearly stated who was to blame for the collision. The National Railway Administration does not believe it should be obliged to foot the entire bill, and Vesta may ask the courts for a ruling on the case.

Rebels challenge Progress Party (Dagsavisen)

Today Dag Danielsen will publish his "rebel list", which is intended to make life difficult for Carl I. Hagen and the Progress Party’s election campaign. At a secret location late last night Mr Danielsen met with around 30 defectors from the Progress Party’s Oslo branch. Here they hammered out a plan to allow Mr Danielsen to fight for a seat in the Storting despite being dropped from the Progress Party’s official list of candidates. Dagsavisen has learned that Mr Danielsen will announce at a press conference today that the Progress Party rebels will present an alternative list at the general election this autumn.

Ombudsman to study 700 websites (Vårt Land)

According to the Consumer Ombudsman, 700 Norwegian websites are based on commercial sales and marketing activities. Around 60 of these are aimed directly at children. The ombudsman now intends to scrutinize these websites, particularly with regard to the mixing of editorial material and advertising aimed at children.

Big is not necessarily beautiful (Dagsavisen)

Statoil’s board of directors wants the company to become a major international oil producer. But according to a recent report by the UK bank, HSBC, the recent spate of mergers between the major oil companies has not been profitable. Up to now the oil industry has said the creation of gigantic organizations – supermajors – is necessary to reduce operating and capital costs, and to be able to participate in large-scale projects. This claim is clearly refuted in the HSBC report.

On course for stock market launch (Dagens Næringsliv)

In two weeks Statoil’s chief executive, Olav Fjell, will publish the best year-end figures in the company’s history. The timing is perfect. It is only a few months until the company is due to be launched on to the stock market. "I cannot say anything specific about our fourth-quarter results, but let me put it this way. It would be news indeed if any oil company did not publish an extremely good financial result for 2000," says Mr Fjell.

Norsk Hydro ignored orders not to cut safety standards (Aftenposten)

Norsk Hydro have been strongly criticized by the Petroleum Directorate (OD) for having ignored orders not to reduce safety standards at a drilling rig in the North Sea. On 31 January the Directorate rejected Norsk Hydro’s request for a exemption from the rules covering drilling and wellhead activities on the drilling rig "Bideford Dolphin". The Directorate has now demanded an explanation from Norsk Hydro’s management.

Compromise sought after uproar over defence cuts (Verdens Gang)

Defence Minister Bjørn Tore Godal wants to put an end to the uproar generated by the Government’s proposed defence cuts. He plans to seek broad support for a compromise solution to the comprehensive reorganization of the Armed Forces now in preparation. VG has learned that Mr Godal intends to adopt a conciliatory tone next Friday, when he presents the Government’s white paper on the long-term future of the country’s Armed Forces.

Worth Noting

• MPs are concerned about safety standards in the North Sea. Einar Steensnæs (Christian Democrat) is calling for immediate action on the part of the oil companies. He is not prepared to wait for the Government’s report on safety to be published in the autumn. (Aftenposten)
• Norwegian oil and gas resources are an important reason to maintain a strong national defence capability. Politicians must think strategy, not ideology when they discuss the state of the nation’s defences, says Jon Bingen, the director of Europa-programmet, an independent European policy think-tank. (Nationen)
• Forecasts indicate that NSB, the Norwegian national railway company, overran its budget for 2000 by almost NOK 150 million. New crisis measures may be announced in March. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• The Norwegian Union of Municipal Employees (AOF) spent at least NOK 120,000 of union funds on private 50th birthday celebrations for the union’s president and vice president. Norway’s largest trade union, with 240,000 members, had a deficit in 1999 of NOK 28 million. (Verdens Gang)
• An increasing number of children are suffering from fibromyalgia, which up to now has largely been seen as a an illness linked to chronic fatigue in women. (Nationen)
• A complete set of plans for the German invasion of Norway in 1940 may have lain at the bottom of the Oslo Fjord since the German warship, Blücher, was sunk at the very start of the invasion. (Aftenposten)

Today’s comment from Verdens Gang

Finance Minister Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen has been applauded by the board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF experts say they are well pleased with the Government’s economic policy and the current state of the Norwegian economy. But at the same time the IMF have expressed some measure of concern about future developments. Our Finance Minister is advised to tighten the budget when it is revised in May to avoid the economy overheating. The warnings from the IMF are in stark contrast to the advice given by certain of our domestic economic experts, who believe the Government should be prepared to spend more of the country’s oil revenues. But if the IMF’s comments are music to Mr Schjøtt-Pedersen’s ears, they will also provide ammunition to some of his political opponents. In particular the IMF’s reservations about the Government’s handling of the Norwegian welfare system. The international experts recommend a cut in Norway’s sick pay scheme, greater wage differentials, increased privatization and a cut in agricultural subsidies. The opposition is unlikely to forget this advice when proposals for next year’s national budget are published. In many ways the IMF has given plenty of ammunition to both sides in the struggle to determine the direction of Norway’s economic policy.