Government eases meat import ban (NTB)

The Government has lifted its total ban on meat imports from EU countries. But Norwegians will still have to wait before resuming their customary shopping trips to Sweden. Initially the Government is allowing Norwegian companies to import products made from cloven-footed animals from Finland, Sweden Denmark, Austria, Switzerland and Iceland. Private individuals are still not allowed to bring meat products into the country.

Jagland wants Norwegian soldiers to serve in the Congo (Dagbladet)

Foreign Minister Thorbjørn Jagland wants Norwegian soldiers to participate in the UN observer force in the Congo, a country wracked with internal strife. Although the Foreign Ministry is pushing hard, the Ministry of Defence is sceptical. State Secretary Raymond Johansen has asked for clarification of what resources Norway has available for participation in UN operations. Defence Minister Bjørn Tore Godal will decide shortly whether Norway has the manpower to send a contingent to join NOMUC, the UN observer force in the Congo.

Armed Forces face cash crisis, warns head of Defence Research Establishment (Dagens Næringsliv)

Nils Holme, head of the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), says the Armed Forces will face a severe financial crisis if the Government goes ahead with its proposed new defence structure. In the short term the Armed Forces will need an additional NOK 1-2 billion per year. Mr Holme fears that in 20 years’ time the Armed Forces could have a cash shortfall of NOK 56 billion. Defence Minister Bjørn Tore Godal has received Mr Holme’s calculations, but has chosen to ignore his warnings.

Liberal ultimatum to Centre Party (Verdens Gang)

The Liberals’ anger at the Centre Party is growing stronger all the time. Erling Moe, Liberal parliamentary candidate and member of the party’s executive committee, says that the Liberal Party conference in May must result in an invitation to cooperate being sent to the Conservatives. "What has happened in the Centre Party means we must rethink the composition of a future coalition government. I believe the party conference should adopt a resolution inviting the Conservatives to join a coalition and giving the Centre Party the choice of staying on board or jumping ship," says Mr Moe.

Heavy tax bill for residential property owners (Aftenposten)

If you have a 200 sq. m. house and a 100 sq. m. holiday home your property could give you an annual tax bill of NOK 15,000-20,000 per year. The total tax burden will be heaviest in local authorities which levy property tax on holiday homes. The sum of property tax, wealth tax and the tax on owner-occupiers means that those living in newly-built properties will be hardest hit. The new valuation system will bring to light higher property values, and even though each individual tax may be small, the total amount of tax liable could be considerable.

Fight for the right to strike (Dagsavisen)

Many trade unions fear that the Stabel Commission’s proposals could put an end to the right to free collective bargaining. The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) is cautious about commenting on the commission’s proposals. "The commission’s members are generally happy with the way the annual round of wage negotiations is organized, and we are not proposing any dramatic changes," said commission chairman Ingse Stabel when she presented the commission’s final recommendations. The Stabel Commission was composed of representatives from all the major employee and employer organizations, with Ms Stabel as a neutral leader.

Haakon welcomes debate on the monarchy (Dagbladet)

Crown Prince Haakon feels the future of the monarchy should be debated. The Norwegian Republic Association welcomes the news and says the time is right to abolish the monarchy. The suggestion that Norway should become a republic in 2014 is okay by the Crown Prince. "A debate on the principles of our constitution and form of government is both important and right. I am happy that this suggestion has been put forward and think it seems well thought out," he said to the news agency, NTB.

Worth Noting

• Foreign Minister Thorbjørn Jagland has reacted to the USA’s opposition to the Kyoto agreement by criticizing George W. Bush in an open e-mail. Mr Jagland pointed out that the USA produces 25 per cent of the world’s emissions of greenhouse gases. (Aftenposten)
• In time for this autumn’s general election, cash-strapped parents of children at public nurseries will benefit from a cut in nursery fees. VG has learned that the Government intends to propose a substantial increase in state subsidies for nursery places in the revised budget which the Storting will vote on before the summer recess. (Verdens Gang)
• Norwegian ownership in Den norske Bank (DnB), one of Norway’s largest high-street banks, has fallen considerably as a result of the Government’s latest sell-off of shares in the bank. Foreign investors purchased 81 per cent of the shares. Politicians and others who wish DnB to remain in Norwegian hands have reason to be concerned following the Government’s sale of 104 million DnB shares. (Aftenposten)
• Small, independent trade unions hope that the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) will split wide open when the Government presents its proposals for new strike legislation. At least four LO unions have already condemned the proposals for a new way of organizing the annual round of wage negotiations. Per Østvold, of the Norwegian Union of Transport Workers, is extremely critical of the way the LO unions have handled the Stabel Commission. (Aftenposten)
• At the end of March 61,800 people were registered unemployed, which corresponds to 2.6 per cent of the workforce. Unemployment has fallen by two per cent compared to March last year. (NTB)
• Since 1965 the number of inhabitants has fallen in forty per cent of Norwegian local authority areas, according to Nationen’s analysis of figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics, most of the "losers" are in North Norway, where over 70 per cent of local authorities have seen their populations fall. The "winners" are towns or local authorities near urban areas. (Nationen)

Today’s comment from Dagsavisen and Dagbladet

If Local Government Minister Sylvia Brustad had hoped for unanimity from the commission charged with proposing improvements in the way wage negotiations are handled, she must be sadly disappointed today. The Stabel Commission’s recommendations are a confusing mass of conflicting opinions, and are totally unsuited as a foundation for any decisions Ms Brustad might make. The best that can be said of the commission is that it has distanced itself dramatically from the Industrial Labour Law Council’s recommendations from 1996 which proposed a significant curtailment in the right of negotiation and the right to strike for small trade unions. Nevertheless it has not stopped 15 trade unions from publishing a joint communiqué attacking the report’s majority view, which it describes as a "massive attack on the freedom to unionize and the right to free collective bargaining and the right to strike". (Dagsavisen)

Local Government Minister Sylvia Brustad received the recommendations of the Stabel Commission yesterday, and says she is looking forward to reading the recommendations in greater depth. Being the experienced politician she is, she will examine the proposals carefully and await the reaction of the other parties before she gives any indication of how the Government will respond. We hope Ms Brustad decides to ignore the recommendations, at least those which curtail the freedom to unionize and the right to strike. (Dagbladet)