Norwegian Government takes the offensive on environmental and resource policy

Looking after Norwegian nature

In order to protect our remaining wilderness areas for coming generations, the Government will ensure implementation of the national park plan. Since its formation in 2001 the Government has established a total of 214 protected areas covering 7840 km2 altogether. Never has a government safeguarded so much Norwegian nature in such a short time. More new national parks, national park centres and protected areas are planned next year.

Preserving biological diversity

The conservation of biological diversity is a high priority. The Government will further strengthen its attempts to save stocks of wild salmon. During the past two years, spending on the fight against the salmon parasite Gyrodactylus salaris has more than doubled, and the effort will be intensified in 2004. Additional conservation efforts will also be given priority.

Efforts to save the arctic fox from extinction will be stepped up in 2004. Work is being done on a captive breeding and release project. Control measures for red foxes are also under consideration. Implementation of the national park plan will also play a part in securing habitats for the arctic fox.

The Government will intensify its work in forest conservation, now that the previous plan for protecting coniferous forests has been carried out, and proposes increased funding for new conservation projects in 2004. This allows room for the purchase and protection of new areas and the implementation of new conservation efforts. Voluntary conservation as a protective measure, and active use of state-owned forests to promote forest conservation, will be priorities.

Climate and international work

The most serious environmental challenges are global, and call for binding international agreements. Norway's environment minister leads the UN Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD), and during his term as chairman intends to place great emphasis on revitalizing the CSD. The commission will focus on effective monitoring of implementation of the decisions taken at the World Summit on environment and sustainable development in Johannesburg in 2001.

The government is following up the World Summit in Johannesburg particularly as regards measures in the "WEHAB" areas of water, energy, agriculture and biodiversity. Through its development cooperation work, the Government already provides substantial support in these fields. Our contributions in this area currently total NKr 600-700 million. The Government intends to increase the total additional commitment to WEHAB projects by a further NOK 375 million for the period 2003-2005.

National environmental policy aims to promote sustainable development, in line with the action plan for National Agenda 21 as set out in the national budget. The Government will strongly emphasize the need to follow-up Norway's obligations under the decisions taken at the World Summit in Johannesburg. The threat of man-made climate change is probably the greatest global environmental challenge. For that reason the Government has pursued an active climate policy, both national and international, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The increase in temperature will first manifest itself in the Arctic regions, where the ecological consequences will be particularly severe. The Norwegian Polar Institute will be strengthened as a centre of expertise in climate issues, i.e. by constructing a year-round base in the Antarctic.

Norway has exerted great pressure on the British government to reduce emissions associated with the reprocessing plant at Sellafield. Discharges have now been halted for nine months during investigations of how best to implement cleansing procedures. Norway will follow this process closely, keeping up the pressure on the British authorities until the discharges are stopped permanently.

Pollution in fjords and harbours

In the government White Paper on the marine environment, St.meld. nr. 12 (2001-2002), a new coordinated strategy was drawn up for the continuing work of cleaning up polluted sediments in fjords and harbours. Activities are underway in all areas identified in the strategy. Funding for the clean-up operations has risen by about 42% from 2002 to 2003, and will be stepped up further in 2004, bringing the total increase to 70%. In addition, funding authority has been strengthened considerably during this period. Important research and monitoring activities have also been put in place.

The Government is boosting funding for screening new eco-toxins to facilitate identification at an early stage of new threats to the environment from the most dangerous chemicals, so that remedial measures can be put into operation in time.

Cultural heritage

Work to curtail the loss of cultural heritage continues. Returns from the newly created cultural heritage fund are expected to double in comparison to 2003, and the grants will inspire a burst of activity in 2004. The Government's especial priorities will include cultural monuments of national importance such as stave churches and other buildings dating from the Middle Ages, coastal culture, safeguarding Norwegian World Heritage sites, and following-up the new nominations to UNESCO's World Heritage list. The Government stresses that funding assistance will primarily be directed at concrete projects -- particularly, in 2004, the World Heritage sites at Røros, the old mining town, and the Bryggen district of Bergen.

Public transport and urban environment

In the transport ministry's budget, about NOK 5.1 billion are earmarked for environment-related spending in 2004. The largest allocations, roughly NOK 3 bn, are for railway maintenance and investment (including operation and maintenance of the Gardermoen airport link).Work continues on the new double track on the Sandvika-Asker line. In 2004 the state will also contribute economically to construction of the metro ring in Oslo, where the first stage was opened this year, and to renovation of the Underground.

These investments are vital to ensuring a stable public transport network of sufficient capacity in a region where it is especially desirable to shift large volumes of traffic to environment-friendly forms of transportation. A system of incentives favouring public transport will also be introduced.

Streamlining management and regulation

The Government will continue this work, which is already well underway. Within the area of environmental management the Government has cut the number of committees and councils from 16 to 10. Further initiatives will include efforts to rationalize legislation and reduce the number of environmental regulations. The Ministry of the Environment proposes to restructure and trim down 40 existing regulations into two: one pollution act and one product act.

Modernizing environmental management also involves developing and making use of electronic services. At the same time, further digital development in Norway is an important basis for increasing efficiency and modernizing in all sectors. Planning under the Planning and Building Act will become more efficient. In 2003 deadlines were introduced for handling local development plans, regulations were drawn up cutting fees paid to local authorities if they failed meet their deadlines, and legislative changes were proposed allowing only one objection or complaint per case.

As a step towards cutting the collective tax level, some national surcharges such as e.g. hunting and fishing taxes will be unchanged in 2004 and therefore reduced in real terms. The hunting tax for small game remains NOK 240 per person, for larger game NOK 300 per person and for salmon fishing NOK 180.

• Norway's National Budget for 2004 (Ministry of Finance)