EU meat ban extended for two more days (Dagsavisen)

Less than a day before the two-week-old import ban on meat and dairy products expires, the Norwegian Animal Health Authority and the Institute of Veterinary Surgeons have recommended that Norway keeps its borders closed to imports of all meat products from cloven-footed animals produced in the EU area for another three weeks. Agriculture Ministers Bjarne Håkon Hanssen will wait for two more days before he makes his final decision. In the wings lurks the EU’s threat to hit Norway’s important salmon export industry.

Russia bans fish imports (Dagsavisen)

Russia’s ban on imports of fish and fish products from Norway and all other European countries has provoked considerable astonishment. The Russians have justified the ban as a measure to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. Norway’s fishing industry risks huge losses if the ban is enforced for any length of time. Last year Norway’s fish export to Russia were worth some NOK 1 billion.

Fish is safe to eat (Aftenposten)

"Both Norwegian wild and farmed fish are well under the EU’s proposed new maximum limits for toxins in fish. The highest dioxin level we have ever measured was 1.1 ng per kg. The vast majority of our measurements fall well under 1 ng per kg. Even oily fish, which has a much higher level of dioxin than white fish, is well under the proposed EU limit," says Øyvind Lie, head of the Directorate of Fisheries’ Institute of Nutrition in Bergen.

Had plans to invade Norway (Aftenposten)

Between 1971 and 1974 the Soviet Union and Finland were negotiating the permanent deployment of Soviet troops and military equipment in Northern Finland. The Soviet Union wanted Finnish help in the event of an invasion of Norway. President Urho Kekkonen and three Finnish generals were the only ones who new about the Soviet-Finnish consultations, reports the Finnish broadcasting company, YLE.

Political left in the majority (Nationen)

The political left, made up of the Labour Party, the Socialist Left Party and the Centre Party would win 83 seats and a slight majority of the votes, according to Nationen’s latest opinion poll. Support for the Socialist Left Party has increased the most, while the Progress Party has slumped. It is the first time thesehree parties have formed a majority in the polls. Centre Party chairman Odd Enoksen is extremely pleased to be in such a pivotal position. "I am just as concerned about the centre alliance, but the Centre party’s position in relation to the largest grouping in the Storting is important. It is about getting in place to tip the scales one way or the other," says Mr Enoksen.

117 people to receive compensation (Dagsavisen)

67 passengers and 50 of the next-of-kin of those who died will receive compensation for non-financial losses following the Åsta train crash. The total compensation paid will exceed NOK 10 million and will come directly from NSB and the National Railway Administration. The term redress has not been used in the compensation agreement. If NSB and the National Railway Administration had agreed to use the term redress, they would have been admitting negligence. In Norway gross negligence is normally required before redress is awarded.

Interest in Statoil shares to be quantified (Dagens Næringsliv)

When Telenor launched its shares on the stock market, the company was criticized for several things – the quality of its communications, its marketing campaign and the way the flotation itself was organized. Statoil wants to avoid falling into any of these traps, and has hired opinion pollsters MMI to find out how interested people are in purchasing the oil company’s shares. Statoil wants to know if people think Telenor’s flotation was a success, and if some shares should be sold at a discount.

Worth Noting

• Veterinary inspector Tore Wie is ready to resign from his job after Agriculture Minister Bjarne Håkon Hanssen yesterday extended Norway’s import ban by only two days. (Verdens Gang)
• Police in South Africa are to learn how to build up a trade union organization with Norwegian help. The hope is that they will also become a little bit more "Nordic" in their policing methods. (Aftenposten)
• The Government’s plans to boost the pre-school nursery sector will cost a fortune. The Government wants to provide a four-hour core period at no cost to all children with a nursery place, a scheme which would cost upwards of NOK 7 billion. That is more than twice as much as the entire amount spent on the additional cash benefit for the under-threes. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has warned against believing that there is full equality between the sexes in Norway, even though the country has come a long way. Even today 80 per cent of all those employed by the local authorities are women, while 80 per cent of the managers are men. (Dagsavisen)
• When Kværner’s shop stewards have another meeting with Kjell Inge Røkke on Thursday they do not want him to be the one stage-managing the show. The union reps have therefore called a press conference for Wednesday where they will announce their preconditions for any further discussions with Mr Røkke and Aker Maritime. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• So far this year 23 IT and internet companies have called in the receivers, according to the Oslo Bankruptcy Court register. (Dagens Næringsliv)

Today’s comment from Aftenposten

According to a recent opinion poll eight out of ten Norwegians say that they do not believe Finance Minister Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen’s assurances that there will be no tax increases next year, which says everything that needs to be said about the Labour Party’s lack of credibility on taxes. There is no doubt that Mr Schjøtt-Pedersen is correct when he claims that saying, ‘the total tax burden will not rise in the period 2001 to 2002’, does not constitute a promise not to raise individual taxes. The Finance Minister’s promise is a signal that tax increases in some areas will be proposed to compensate for what the Government defines as tax reductions in other areas. But Mr Schjøtt-Pedersen did not say a word about that when he originally made his ‘promise’, which was not a promise after all. What most people do not believe is their own definition of the Government’s tax promise. It serves Mr Schjøtt-Pedersen right if he is now being made to suffer for his double-talk. We are not denying the fact that Mr Schjøtt-Pedersen did not promise that no-one would get a tax increase next year. It is interesting to note that the actual contents of the Labour Party’s fiscal policy only became clear when the media began examining the Finance Minister’s use of words. Mr Schjøtt-Pedersen should take note of this confirmation that double-talk does not pay.