The Royal Ministry Of Foreign Affairs, Oslo
Press Division

Norway Daily No. 59/01

Date: 26 March 2001

8 out of 10 do not buy Government’s tax promise (Aftenposten)

A whopping 77 per cent of those polled say they do not believe the Government’s promise not to raise taxes next year. As many as 45 per cent of the Labour Party’s own supporters say they do not trust the Finance Minister’s promises. Not surprisingly, Conservative, Christian Democrat and Progress Party voters are the most sceptical. However, Finance Minister Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen is sticking to his guns. "There will be no increase in total tax burden from 2001 to 2002," he says.

Norwegian food too toxic for EU (Aftenposten)

EU food experts say that ordinary Norwegian food contains five times more PCB, dioxins and other toxins than is safe. The toxins in Norwegian food which the EU fears most are primarily to be found in oily fish and shellfish. If the EU introduces a maximum limit for environmental toxins in food products, it could have major consequences for Norwegian fish exports. Last year the total value of Norwegian fish exports to the EU amounted to NOK 17.7 billion.

Support for EU membership falls sharply (Aftenposten/Saturday)

Over the past year support in Norway for EU membership has fallen from 56.1 per cent to 46.9 per cent. An opinion poll carried out in March shows a drop in support of three percentage points last month alone. The foot-and-mouth epidemic in Europe is thought to be the reason for this latest development. Pro-membership politicians are unwilling to comment on the poll results.

Labour Party has mobilized us (Dagsavisen/Sunday)

The Labour Party’s annual conference resolution permitting the Government to seek EU membership if a majority of the population is in favour, has set the scene for a permanent EU membership battle, says Socialist Left Party leader Kristin Halvorsen. "We must make sure we never have a long-term majority in the polls in favour of EU membership. The Labour Party succeeded in mobilizing opponents of membership," she says.

Taking higher education (Dagsavisen/Saturday)

For the first time ever adults without a high school diploma can apply for a place in higher education based on their work experience. A count of applications shows interest is high. 4,700 adults have applied for a place in higher education. "This is very good news," says Education Minister Trond Giske.

Call for a change in the constitution (Vårt Land/Saturday)

The Values Commission is calling for a change in the constitution to reflect the fact that Norway is a multi-religious rather than a purely Christian society. Vårt Land has learned that this is one of the conclusions in the commission’s final report to be published on Tuesday. "We came to an agreement on a surprising amount of issues," says the commission’s chairman Jan Erik Langangen in answer to those who thought that the broadly recruited group would not manage to reach agreement on anything at all.

Power sharing until 2004 (Dagbladet/Sunday)

Jens Stoltenberg is tightening his grip on the Labour Party. But those who thought that Thorbjørn Jagland intended to step down as party chairman in 18 months can think again. Sources close to Mr Jagland are certain that he will continue until 2004. In that case Mr Stoltenberg will have to share power with Mr Jagland for another three years. The possibility provokes both positive and negative reactions within the Labour Party.

Call for full investigation (Dagens Næringsliv)

Trade and Industry Minister Grete Knudsen has called for a full investigation into the South African office of the Norwegian Trade Council. Ms Knudsen made the demand personally when she met Trade Council chief executive Per Andreas Vogt in Tokyo yesterday. On Saturday Dagens Næringsliv revealed how the two managers of the Trade Council’s South African office let Norwegian tax-payers foot the bill for private expenditure, including a children’s birthday party, a family weekend break, building costs for an extension to an expensive private house, and transport fees for a private horse.

Worth Noting

• Half the population believes the Progress Party has treated Vidar Kleppe unfairly. Even one third of the Progress Party’s own voters believe the party has treated him unfairly. (Aftenposten/Saturday)
• Every 14 days a child is kidnapped from Norway and taken abroad. Child kidnappings often follow bitter divorce proceedings where at least one of the spouses is originally from a foreign country. The National Bureau of Crime Investigation is concerned that the problem will grow in the years ahead. (Dagsavisen)
• Defence Minister Bjørn Tore Godal’s proposal for the reorganization of the defence bureaucracy is severely underfunded. The Storting will have to allocate an additional NOK 1.5 billion per year for the next 20 years to cover a budget shortfall of NOK 30 million. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• Here are Kjell Magne Bondevik’s two demands for making a comeback as prime minister after this autumn’s general election. The Liberals must get enough votes to win at least one seat in the Storting and the centre alliance must do better than its current showing in the polls. (Dagens Næringsliv/Saturday)
• The Ministry of Justice says that the fees charged by debt collecting agencies are too high. The Ministry is planning to halve the fees charged by the agencies, which would give them a NOK 400 million loss in revenue. (Dagsavisen/Sunday)
• Scientists believe that cod farming could grow to be as big an industry as salmon farming. But it will require investments of NOK 500 million in research and development over the next ten years. (Aftenposten)
• Vice President Gerd-Liv Valla of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) has called on the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO) to intervene following the salary bonanza Norwegian top executives have awarded themselves. However, the NHO’s president, Finn Bergesen Jr, has responded by pointing out that some business leaders deserve a substantial rise in salary. (Verdens Gang/Saturday)
• Gardermoen Airport is ready for Schengen. A 2,000 sq.m. extension meets all EU requirements, and tomorrow at 08.15 SAS flight SK 908 from New York will be the first to test the new immigration control routines. (Nationen/Saturday)

Today’s comment from Dagsavisen

A new political party has seen the light of day in Norway. There are already eight political parties represented in the Storting. With the newcomer, the Liberal People’s Party, there will be nine. The new party has been formed by the dregs of the Progress Party. Politically it is reactionary, strongly anti-immigration and highly populist in nature. It is therefore a true heir to Anders Lange and Carl I. Hagen in his heyday. The party is the revenge exacted by ex-Progress Party members who have fallen victim to Carl I. Hagen and his authoritarian party leadership. With that kind of starting point it is possible to engage in politics for a while, but not for long. A party also needs a political programme. The Liberal People’s Party does not have one. The new party has no realistic possibility of getting anyone elected to the Storting in the normal manner. The biggest loser is nevertheless Carl I. Hagen. If he had treated those he considered incorrigible with a modicum of common decency, his party would still be intact. Mr Hagen should be extremely happy if he manages to scrape an election result on a par with four years ago. At the moment support for the Progress Party has much in common with IT shares on the stock market. No one knows when the collapse will finally bottom out.