Officers fear drop in recruitment (Aftenposten)

The Military Officers’ Association has protested against the Headquarters Defence Command Norway’s decision not to carry out health checks on personnel who have served in the Balkans. In Europe there are growing concerns about the effects of NATO’s use of depleted uranium in its ammunition. If the potential health risk is not clarified quickly, the Norwegian officers fear that it will affect the numbers of Norwegians volunteering for service with the KFOR force in Kosovo.

New commission drowning in old cases (Dagsavisen)

The newly created Immigration Appeals Board (Utlendingsnemda) came into operation on 1 January, but it is already facing a backlog of 2,000 to 3,000 appeals against decisions regarding applications for asylum and other residence or work permits in Norway. This is almost four times the number that was anticipated and means that it will take several months before the Board can deal with any new cases.

Calls to create coastal police force (Aftenposten)

When a ship gets into difficulties it is most often the Coast Guard who notifies the Norwegian Maritime Directorate’s emergency response organization in Oslo. This is an unnecessary extra step and valuable time may be lost in explaining a situation which could lead to an accident. The Coast Guard should be responsible for surveillance of Norway’s coastal waters, and should have the authority to intervene before a vessel ends up on the rocks, says the Directorate’s Director General, Ivar A. Mannum. He has invited the Norwegian National Coastal Administration, the Norwegian Pollution Control Authority and the Coast Guard/Navy to a meeting today at the Directorate to discuss a proposal to transfer the main responsibility for emergency response to the Coast Guard.

Calls for lower speed limits in winter (Dagsavisen)

To limit the negative effects on the environment and cut the number of accidents, the Directorate of Public Roads has said it is willing to implement measures to cut traffic speeds on Norway’s roads during the winter. According to Bjørn Skoglund, head of the Directorate’s traffic department, the maximum speed limit in several places could be cut from 80 km/h to 60 km/h. One in three roads with a 90 km/h speed limit may be reduced to 80 km/h.

Reiten says the state is a bad owner (Dagens Næringsliv)

The state is not suited to being a major industrial owner, says Norsk Hydro’s next director general, Eivind Reiten. He is calling on the Government to reduce the state’s ownership in Norwegian industry. "The state is not suited to being a major industrial owner, and in the decades ahead it will become even less suited to the task," says Mr Reiten.

Fewer bankruptcies in rural districts (Nationen)

A larger number of urban companies than rural companies went bankrupt last year. Oslo, Nordland and Østfold counties had the most bankruptcies compared to the number of companies operating there last year. "One explanation may be that we have a more dynamic business community in the region round the capital than in most other places. We have more start-ups and consequently more failures," says Olaf Stene of the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry’s regional council for Oslo and Akershus.

Guidelines for management pay (Aftenposten)

Trade and Industry Minister Grete Knudsen wants firmer control of management pay levels in the public sector and is asking both the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions and the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry for their advice. She does not want to set an upper limit for senior management salaries, but underlines that public sector companies should not offer the highest remuneration. "We are focusing on senior management salaries in state owned industries, and hope the guidelines we eventually issue will also have an effect on the private sector," says Ms Knudsen.

Worth noting

• Environment Minister Siri Bjerke does not have the backing of a majority in the Storting for her proposal to introduce a maximum size limit on holiday cabins in Norway. A united centre alliance has seen to that. (Dagsavisen)
• "Minister of Renewal" Jørgen Kosmo is planning to slim down the public sector. Even so, he says that public sector will have to grow by at least 65,000 employees over the next 10 years. (Dagsavisen)
• On Thursday, Norway was chosen to lead the UN Security Council’s Sanctions Committee on Iraq. Norway has been given responsibility for ensuring that international trade sanctions against Saddam Hussein’s regime are respected for the next two years. (Aftenposten)
• Competition in the salmon market is getting tougher. With Chile’s growth in production reaching 40-50 per cent, this could lead to a fierce battle over every single European customer. (Aftenposten)
• NRK, TV2 and Telenor are considering the creation of a jointly owned media giant. Board members from the three companies have secretly hatched a plan to merge their new digital and interactive services in a joint company. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• According to the myth, older employees are not very productive and cannot adapt to new situations. The reality is that they represent a huge resource. By the end of this decade there will be 60 per cent more employees over 60. (Vårt Land)
• Norway is in the process of generating what can only be described as wolf mania in Europe and the western world. Several foreign TV companies have indicated they will be in place when Norway starts the biggest wolf hunt in modern European history some time during the winter. (Dagbladet)

Today’s comment from Dagbladet

Fisheries Minister Otto Gregussen has announced plans to strengthen Norway’s emergency response capability in the event of an oil spill along its coast. It is a positive move, and comes not a moment too soon. If we are to avoid a major environmental disaster as a result of an accident at sea, we must introduce measures that can prevent ships from running aground and have an organization in place that can clear up oil spillages if and when they occur. We assume that Mr Gregussen will have more specific details to announce when all the ministries involved have had a chance to consult with each other. The proposal to move the shipping lanes farther off the coast will undoubtedly reduce the risk of oil washing ashore. A greater distance to the coast also means fewer rocks to run aground on, and more time if an accident does occur. Frequent Russian oil shipments between Rotterdam and Murmansk should also lead to closer cooperation between Norwegian and Russian authorities. In addition, the navies on both sides of the border should be able to use their excess capacity for non-military tasks such as surveillance of and assistance to sea-going rust buckets sailing on a potentially dangerous course.

NOREG