Minister of Justice Grete Faremo

Tale ved åpningen av Ruhrgas' stipendieprogram for rettsvitenskap

29. February 1996

Excellencies, Honoured Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to be here tonight, and I thank you, Dr Liesen, for inviting me, and for your kind words of introduction.

As Minister of Justice, I am very happy that Ruhrgas AG has chosen to set up a new German-Norwegian Scholarship for Law. International cooperation in the field of justice is getting more and morecommon, and the importance of knowledge about legal systems and legislation in other countries is increasing. The new scholarship scheme will undoubtedly give legal scientists, lawyers and students both in Norway and Germany a great opportunity to take a closer look into the legal structures of a European neighbour.

Seeing this initiative in a historical perspective, the programme will give new life to an old tradition in the field of legal science:

In the last century, during the first decades after the adoption of the Norwegian constitution in 1814, many of the pioneers in Norwegian legal science went to Germany to study law for longer or shorter periods of time. This was the case for Prime Minister, Francis Hagerup, former rector of the University of Oslo, Fredrik Stang, former Professor and Member of Parliament Anton Martin Schweigaard - whose father was German, with the name Schweiger - and the list goes on. In their generation, the flow of legal sources and legal thinking from Germany was rich. The doctrines in the works of leading German legal scientists were imported to Norway and interpreted in a Norwegian context, and ideas from German legislative work were adopted here and made part of our national legislation.

Norwegian law students, lawyers and scientists have for obvious reasons over the last decades had a tendency to focus on the jurisprudence in Scandinavia, England and the USA when doing research abroad. Ruhrgas AG has played an important role in the valuable work to renew and strengthen the bonds between our two countries in the field of science. This is the third scholarship program financed by the company. The new Scholarship Scheme will hopefully make it possible for some of them to take a closer look also at our German heritage, a heritage which is actually stronger than most people are aware of.

Besides, through the EEA-agreement, new connections between Norwegian law on the one hand and German and coninental law on the other hand, are created. These new connections also call for future cooperation between Norwegian and German legal communities. -When it comes to European Law, German lawyers and legal scientists have an experience from which we are eager to learn. In the process of learning, personal ties and professional contacts is vital, and this scholarship scheme will provide a foundation for such ties and contacts.

However, not only scientific reasons makes it desirable to strengthen the bonds between Norway and Germany. Germany has over the last 30 decades become one of Norway's most important partners in international trade. This is also an area where we have long traditions, I just need to mention the Hanseatic League in the 14th and 15th century. Today a significant part of the German-Norwegian trade is related to the energy sector, where your company, Dr Liesen, is an important partner. The gas industry in particular is a vital element in the economic relations between Germany and Norway.

All relationships, being it between persons, companies or nations, need nourishment and care. Only in this way can good relations be maintained - and developed further.

The setting up of this third German-Norwegian exchange programme will strengthen the already strong ties between Germany and Norway.

It is with great pleasure I am looking forward to follow the development of the new Scholarship Scheme for Law. I thank you, Dr Liesen, for instituting this programme.

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you very much for your attention."