The Royal Ministry Of Foreign Affairs, Oslo
Press Division

Norway Daily No. 66/01

Date: 4 April 2001

EU threatens expulsion (Aftenposten)

The European Commission met yesterday to discuss whether Norway should be barred from the EU’s veterinary committee. The reaction comes after Norway has several times refused to abide by the committee’s recommendations for measures to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. Norway’s import ban is seen as provocative by the EU. Norway’s participation in the veterinary committee is a consequence of the EEA Agreement. Gunnar Hagen, of the Norwegian Animal Health Authority, says that expulsion from the committee would be a blow for Norway. Among other things we would be cut off from direct information regarding the situation in each individual EU member state.

NSB asks Government for NOK 2 billion (Dagsavisen)

Einar Enger took over as NSB’s chief executive not long ago. Today he will announce details of the painful transformation process the national railway company must undergo. Under the proposals, NSB’s freight division will be sold off, the airport express train will be taken over by the Government and real estate will be disposed of. NSB is asking the Government for NOK 300 million in additional annual subsidies, and the company is also calling on the Storting to clear debts amounting to NOK 2 billion. In future NSB will concentrate on running a train and bus passenger service. Administration, cleaning and maintenance will be outsourced to other companies.

Doctors say no to sponsorship (Aftenposten)

"We cannot accept that industry finances the treatment of patients," says Hans Petter Aarseth, president of the Norwegian Medical Association. The association’s executive committee is planning to tighten up the guidelines on cooperation between doctors and the pharmaceuticals industry. Doctors who have signed agreements with pharmaceuticals companies must cancel them with immediate effect.

Norwegian territorial limit may be extended to 12 miles (Verdens Gang)

Norway is considering extending its territorial limit from four to 12 nautical miles, transferring responsibility for coastal surveillance from the Navy to the country’s Rescue Coordination Centres and reducing the number of coastal radio stations to two. These are among the Government’s proposed package of measures to improve coastal emergency preparedness and prevent further major shipping accidents along the coast. It is planned that the measures – which could be interpreted as reducing the Navy’s role in the country’s coastal emergency preparedness to almost nothing – will be announced as part of the revised national budget in May.

Fighting again (Dagens Næringsliv)

Renewed disagreement between Finance Minister Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen and Petroleum and Energy Minister Olav Akselsen is the reason why the Government’s proposals for changes in oil taxation have been delayed. The Petroleum and Energy Ministry wants "kinder" rules than the Ministry of Finance, and has for the past two weeks been fighting to prevent the Finance Minister proposing changes in oil taxation that would lead to a real increase in tax liabilities for the oil industry.

Permanent no to DnB sell-off (Aftenposten)

Finance Minister Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen is crystal clear. Den norske Bank (DnB) is not now, nor ever will be, for sale. The Government will keep its 33 per cent stake in the bank – in perpetuity. Mr Schjøtt-Pedersen denies that there are historic parallels with the Kreditkassen Bank case, where the Labour Party did an about face and agreed to sell the Government’s shareholding. Børge Brende, of the Conservative Party, believes the Government’s stake in DnB will be further reduced if the bank merges with another Norwegian financial institution, eg Storebrand.

One in four Norwegians favours a republic (Dagbladet)

Never before has the monarchy been supported by so few people. A recent opinion poll shows that the monarchy’s popularity is at an all-time low. In all the year’s since 1945 the monarchy has been supported by a stable 80 per cent of the population. But now that figure is dropping. In an opinion poll carried out by market researchers MMI only 59 per cent of the population is in favour of the monarchy, while 23 per cent want a republic. In January only 13 per cent said they would prefer a republic. "Much of the fall in popularity can be explained by the recent behaviour of the younger generation of royals," says MMI’s political science expert, Kristin Hoff.

Worth Noting

• Reactions to the Norwegian import ban have been so strong in Finland that the Norwegian Government is worried that the Finns will boycott Norwegian salmon. Government sources have received indications that justification for such a boycott could be found in the massive growth of algae off the Norwegian south coast. (Aftenposten)
• The Director General of Public Prosecutions says that the police must drop minor cases. Law and order MPs have branded the call "an extremely negative signal". (Dagsavisen)
• Most GPs charge more from their patients than they are allowed to. Both the Norwegian Medical Association and the head of the National Insurance Administration are critical of the practices which have recently come to light. (Aftenposten)
• The Government will increase its allocation of funds to the recently opened National Hospital to prevent dramatic cuts in service. The additional cash will be recovered in the revised national budget to be announced later this spring. However, it is unclear whether the increased subsidies will be enough to prevent cuts at the hospital. (Dagbladet)
• The Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. Sigurd Frisvold, says that the reorganization of the Armed Forces will put an additional strain on the defence budget because the costs will have to come before any rationalization gains are felt. However, Lt. Gen. Frisvold is unwilling to put a figure on the potential extra short and long-term costs. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• Norwegians are getting richer and richer, but they are not getting any happier. We have little reason to believe society will change for the better – only ten per cent of the population thinks so. (Vårt Land)

Today’s comment from Dagbladet

The continuing conflict between the Defence Ministry and the Foreign Ministry over the extent of Norwegian military participation in peace-keeping operations abroad has bubbled to the surface. The Foreign Ministry has asked – so far without success – that Norwegian officers be made available for the UN’s observer force in the Congo, primarily due to Norway’s seat on the UN Security Council. In our opinion the Government should put a stop to this bureaucratic bingo game and allocate all the French-speaking manpower with jungle warfare experience that we have available. However, the conflict hides a more important issue. It is completely impossible for 550 UN observers to supervise a cease-fire where seven armies are ranged against each other in a country the size of western Europe. Once again the UN is in the initial phase of an operation which is doomed to failure if the warring factions themselves do not show a willingness to keep the peace.