Telenor and Tele Danmark discuss a merger (Verdens Gang)

CEO Tormod Hermansen at Telenor may get his revenge for the bitter breakdown of negotiations with Telia. For several months there have been secret feelers and discussions about a possible merger with the Danish telecommunications concern Tele Danmark. According to Verdens Gang’s sources, Minister of Trade and Industry Grete Knudsen has been kept up to date on these discussions. The British newspaper Financial Times published an article about these discussions today, describing a possible merger as a serious threat to Telia’s ambitions. Telia has said that it wants to expand in the Nordic region, and it regards Tele Danmark as a natural partner in these plans. Dag Melgaard, press spokesman for Telenor, will not comment on the rumours.

Norway is the IT loser of Scandinavia (Aftenposten)

Both Sweden and Finland spend more than twice the amount of money per capita annually on measures to promote IT development within schools and the private sector than Norway does, according to a report from the IT giant Cisco Systems. Denmark, too, spends more money than Norway. In the view of Minister of Trade and Industry Grete Knudsen, Norwegian investment in the IT sector is better than the statistics show. "The tempo is quick, especially at Fornebu," she claims. Aftenposten went out to Fornebu to see for itself. There the tempo was anything but quick.

Telenor’s move to Fornebu may not be in the cards (Dagens Næringsliv)

Telenor’s move into its new, prestigious building at Fornebu may not be possible. Bærum municipality, where Fornebu is located, will probably refuse to grant Telenor a dispensation from the requirement that public transport must be in place before 6 000 Telenor employees can move into their new premises. IT Fornebu’s plans may also be at risk. This evening the steering committee of the Bærum municipal council will decide on the applications for a dispensation from Telenor and IT Fornebu.

Socialist Left putting pressure on the Storting (Vårt Land)

While one party after another is accepting that homosexuals should be able to adopt children, the Socialist Left is bringing the issue up in the Storting sooner than most people expected. This has resulted in total confusion. The political parties in Norway have been softening up on this issue for several years. This year a number of parties have agreed that homosexuals should be allowed to adopt children. The Socialist Left is seizing the opportunity to pursue this issue now that politicians are taking a stance on the Government’s proposal to let homosexuals adopt stepchildren. If Labour, the Centre Party and the Liberals agree, the Storting will approve the proposal. This is why the Socialist Left is submitting a proposal to consider homosexuals as adoptive parents on an equal basis with others.

Gas negotiations under way (Aftenposten)

Norwegian and Polish gas negotiators have held meetings in the wake of the European Gas Conference in Oslo. "Our negotiations were conducted in a friendly atmosphere. We have got input that we are assessing, and have given the Poles an answer. We will meet again in mid-June," says Thor O. Lohne, Statoil Vice President of the European Gas Negotiations, to Aftenposten. Mr. Lohne is also chairman of the Gas Negotiation Committee.

French gas – not just hot air (Dagens Næringsliv)

The major French gas company Gaz de France is investing in Norway. Company CEO Pierre Gadonneix says he wants to purchase shares in the State’s Direct Financial Interest, and he is also interested in strategic cooperation with Statoil. Gaz de France is one of the companies that has most often been mentioned as a potential strategic partner for Statoil when it is listed on the stock exchange. The other is the German company Ruhrgas. These two companies are by far the largest purchasers of the gas produced by Statoil.

WORTH NOTING

• On Tuesday the EU ministers of trade agreed to continue to subsidize the shipyard industry. This means that Norway will most likely also continue to support the Norwegian shipyard industry to the tune of billions of kroner in the future. ( Dagens Næringsliv)
• The EFTA Surveillance Authority, the ESA, has reacted negatively to the way Statoil share flotations are being marketed. The government must inform the ESA as to whether Norwegians are being favoured. ( Aftenposten)
• Senior Consultant Bernt Bangstad at the consultancy firm Kreab believes that the Norwegian stock market’s poor reputation among foreign investors is fully justified. The inadequate information services provided by many companies reduce confidence in the Norwegian market. ( Dagens Næringsliv)
• When Statoil is listed on the stock exchange on 18 June, Norsk Hydro will lose one top listing that it will shed no tears over: Statoil will take over its place as the listed company that pays the highest taxes in the world. ( Aftenposten)
• The Standing Committee on Justice has voted down the Government’s proposal to centralize responsibility for judicial registration from the District Recorder’s office to the Norwegian Mapping Authority. ( Nationen)
• Jens Heyerdahl, who is stepping down as Orkla’s CEO, has negotiated his way to a golden handshake worth NOK 41.9 million. Orkla will pay Mr. Heyerdahl his ordinary wage until he reaches retirement age, but it is uncertain how much he will work. ( Dagens Næringsliv)
• The police in Porsgrunn wanted to institute criminal proceedings against the chairman of Oslo Progress Party Youth for the rape of Cathrin Rustøen. However, public prosecutor Per Halsbog dropped the entire case "for lack of evidence". ( Dagsavisen)

TODAY'S COMMENT from Dagsavisen:

One out of every four children who will march in the parade on 17 May in Oslo has a multicultural background. Thus the parade in the nation’s capital tomorrow will be filled with many colours in addition to the red, white and blue of the Norwegian flag. Watching the parade will be people wearing Norwegian national costume and saris, people whose families came from Nordmøre and Pakistan. We all play our part in making 17 May the celebration we all want it to be. Contrary to what many people think, 17 May is not only our national day, but is actually our Constitution Day. Tomorrow we will commemorate the signing of our country’s first Constitution, which embodies strong democratic rights. It was this Constitution that laid the groundwork for our modern democracy, based on a tripartite separation of powers that was inspired by the French Revolution. This, then, is the democratic focus that should dominate tomorrow’s celebration, rather than a focus on Norway as a nation. The time when the country’s citizens formed a relatively homogeneous group has now passed. On 17 May we have an opportunity to commemorate those who laid the basis for our democracy, while also celebrating the fact that we live in a country where the rights of the individual are safeguarded, regardless of skin colour or ethnic background.

The editors would like to wish all our readers a happy 17 May.