Increases in the Foreign Minister’s budget areas for 2006

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will strengthen the promotion of Norwegian culture abroad in 2006, which will allow a more extensive promotion of the Ibsen Year. The High North will be Norway’s most important strategic priority area in the years to come and Norway’s economic, environmental and security policy interests will be given high priority. Norway’s peace and emergency relief efforts will be intensified through the development assistance budget. This support will primarily be channelled through the UN. The government will also increase its support to the information activities of NGOs and other non-commercial actors.

Press, cultural relations and information

The new government will increase its allocation for the Ministry’s promotion of Norwegian culture abroad and for its own information activities by around NOK 20 million. This additional funding means that the extensive cut-back in this area proposed by the previous government will be avoided. It will also be possible to implement new measures to promote Norway abroad.

“It is important that sufficient funds are made available for promoting Norwegian culture abroad in 2006,” commented Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. He pointed out that the budget proposal will make it possible to actively promote the Ibsen Year abroad.

The new budget proposal will also allow Norway International Press Centre to continue its operations.

Mr Støre also pointed out that the Ministry’s information and network building activities will be strengthened and made more effective. He underlined that this will be an important means of achieving central foreign policy objectives.

“We must develop a better dialogue with the Norwegian public on the part Norway plays in the international arena,” he said.

The High North

The government regards the High North as Norway’s most important strategic priority area for the years to come. Maintaining Norway’s economic, environmental and security policy interests is to be given high priority. With this in view, the government wishes to establish an extensive research and development programme for the High North, Barents 2020. The programme will act as a link between international centres of excellence, academic institutions and business and industry actors in countries with interests in the High North.

The allocation for measures in the High North will therefore be increased by NOK 10 million in relation to the sum specified in Proposition No. 1 (2005-2006) to the Storting. This will bring the total allocation for 2006 up to NOK 231.3 million.

Strengthening Norway’s peace and emergency relief efforts

The government will contribute to strengthening the role of the UN in peace, reconciliation and emergency relief efforts. It will do so primarily through increasing Norway’s contribution to the UN Peace-building Fund from NOK 100 million to around NOK 200 million, but it will also give priority to strategic efforts in particular countries through the UN. The government will also focus on preventive efforts and building up the UN’s ability to respond rapidly to humanitarian crises. It is proposed that Norway’s planned contribution to the UN Central Emergency Revolving Fund should be increased by NOK 100 million to NOK 200 million.

An active European policy and co-operation

The government will continue to support interest organisations that can forward Norwegian interests in connection with EU processes of relevance to the EEA, build networks in EU countries and bring back experiences from these processes that invigorate the debate on Europe in Norway. The government also proposes the establishment of a grant system to encourage the social partners’ dialogue on European policy. NOK 450 000 will be made available for distribution between the Norwegian organisations that are members of the EFTA Consultative Committee. At present this applies to the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions, the Confederation of Vocational Unions, the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise, the Federation of Commercial and Service Enterprises and the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities.

In addition, two new information officer positions are to be established at Norway’s EU delegation to facilitate visits to the EU by Norwegian representatives.

The government also wishes to increase the funding available for Norwegian organisations’ information activities on European co-operation by NOK 2 million.

Support for peace organisations

The government will increase the allocation to NGOs’ information activities to promote peace aimed at Norwegian target groups by NOK 2 million. It was suggested in Proposition No. 1 (2005-2006) to the Storting that this support should be discontinued.