Swedish PM says Norway's position will weaken when EU expands (Dagsavisen)

Sweden’s Prime Minister Göran Persson agrees with the EU’s Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, Chris Patten, who claimed earlier this week that Norway and the EEA Agreement would be weakened when the 13 countries who have applied to join the EU are eventually granted full membership."In real terms, Mr Patten is correct, but at the same time there is no doubt that the EEA countries will still be very important for us," said Mr Persson. The Swedish PM has been taking part in the two-day annual meeting of the Nordic Labour Parties’ joint committee at Sørmarka, just south of Oslo. All four Nordic prime ministers attended the meeting, and as the EU’s newly appointed president for the next six months, Mr Persson held a speech on the general public’s support for EU cooperation.

Førde calls for NRK's owners to act more professionally (Aftenposten)

The Government must change its approach towards state ownership of NRK, says the Norwegian national broadcaster’s chief executive, Einar Førde. Mr Førde believes that the Ministry of Cultural Affairs has not been tough enough in carrying out its obligations as NRK’s owner, and points to the need for the Government to build up a professional body to manage state owned enterprises. Mr Førde was due to have left his position shortly, but is prepared to remain in place until his contract expires in August.

Labour Party with biggest gains in latest opinion poll (Aftenposten)

The Labour Party has made the biggest gain in popularity, according to the market research company Opinion’s first opinion poll of 2001. The poll also shows the Progress Party has made progress, despite the party’s internal problems. According to the poll, the Labour Party has the support of 28 per cent of the electorate, five percentage points ahead of the Progress Party on 23.1 per cent, whose gain is almost as large as the Labour Party’s. The Conservatives and the Christian Democrats both drop 2 percentage points, while the Socialist Left Party is down 1.9 percentage points. However, the Conservative Party is still the country’s third largest party with a total following of 16.4 per cent. Norway is due to hold general elections in the autumn.

Visitors spend NOK 10 billion in Oslo (Dagsavisen)

Business travellers and tourists visiting the Norwegian capital spend almost NOK 10 billion per year. Most of that sum goes on hotel accommodation, food and beverages, and shopping, according to a recent report written by the Institute of Transport Economics (TØI) and Horwath Consulting. The report’s authors claim there is still room for improvement and suggest moving the Viking Ship Museum from Bygdøy to the Bjørvika area – where the new national opera house is due to be built – and turning the entire Postgiro Building into a conference centre. The report was commissioned by Oslo’s mayor, Per Ditlev-Simonsen.

Worth noting :

• The Swedes believe they can attract large numbers of tourists to the Idre Fjell mountain area by giving Norwegian cross-country skier Bjørn Dæhlie subsidies to build a palatial new holiday cabin. Mr Dæhlie does not plan to use the cabin himself, nor can he give any good reason why Norwegians should visit the area. (Dagbladet)

• Sami politician Barbro Lill Hætta has provoked strong reactions following her call to publish a Sami pinup calendar. Ms Hætta made the suggestion together with Åse Solli, leader of the Sami women’s group, Sarahkka. "We have lots of beautiful girls who would look great in print," says Ms Hætta, a former adviser to previous Local Government Minister Kjell Opseth. (Dagbladet)

• Professional footballers are up in arms and are calling for a strike. Cultural Affairs Minister Ellen Horn has asked the parties involved in the latest soccer controversy to find a solution. "Reach an agreement," is the minister’s crystal clear message to both sides. The best players should play, she adds. (Dagbladet)

Today's commenet from Dagbladet :

The trade union movement lost its battle to get Inger Lise Husøy included on the Oslo Labour Party’s list of parliamentary candidates for the next general election. The leader of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) in Oslo, Kleiv Fiskvik, told the national media that this could lead to the LO withdrawing its support for the Labour Party’s electoral campaign. He also warned that it could be difficult to maintain the tradition of inviting the Labour Party chairman or the Prime Minister to speak at the LO’s May Day rally in Oslo. Yesterday, Mr Fiskvik backed down and issued a press release withdrawing his threats. But the damage Mr Fiskvik has done cannot be undone simply by sending out a press release. He has exposed an ugly side to the symbiotic relationship between the Labour Party and the LO which must have repercussions. He has demonstrated how disquieting it is, as a matter of principle, that our governing party is so beholden to the LO, both in terms of party funding and political support.