Students slow to finish degrees

Only 35- to 40 percent of Norwegian college and university students finish their degree programs within what’s considered the normal time, according to a report from the Ministry of Education and Research. Critics say the last two governments have failed to push through promised measures to speed up students’ progress. The percentage of students in Norway [...]

Farmers try to win more support

UPDATED: Norwegian farmers’ organizations said they were “disappointed and surprised” when the left-center government coalition, which includes the country’s most farmer-friendly party, only offered them half of the taxpayer support they’d demanded. They still stand to get average pay raises of around 8.5 percent, though, and decided over the weekend to enter into negotiations with [...]

Townships reject more refugees

Many local municipalities in Norway are refusing to accept more refugees, and struggling with what they say are the “skyrocketing” costs of integration. Only one in five has taken in as many refugees as the state government wished. Many of Norway’s municipalities (kommuner) believe that the government is trying to settle too many refugees, according [...]

Controversial royal visit to weapons producer proceeded as planned

Crown Prince Haakon went ahead with his planned visit to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, Texas this week amidst criticism back home in Norway. The visit had been criticized because of Lockheed Martin’s history of making cluster bombs and because it was seen as a “PR coup” for the huge defense contractor. The Royal [...]

Finance minister ‘on steady course’

Norway’s left-center government coalition aims to keep the country’s strong economy on what Finance Minister Sigbjørn Johnsen called “a steady course” when he released the government’s revised state budget on Tuesday. Opposition politicians claim he’s spreading Norway’s wealth much too thinly. “Careful economic management is critical to secure good development in the Norwegian economy,” Johnsen [...]

Norges Bank won’t follow Europeans

The European Central Bank cut its already-low key interest rate last week but Norway’s own central bank didn’t follow along. The board of Norges Bank decided on Wednesday to keep its key lending rate unchanged at 1.5 percent. “Overall developments in the Norwegian economy have been broadly in line with expectations,” Jan F Qvigstad, deputy [...]

Cities reject state government’s plan to help and control beggars

City governments in Oslo, Bergen, Tromsø and Bodø are among those turning down new funding offered by the left-center state government to both accommodate and control Norway’s growing problems posed by migrant beggars. The cities claim the state’s plan is unworkable and won’t help. Justice Minister Grete Faremo of the Labour Party finally unveiled how [...]

NATO boss on whirlwind visit

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and members of the North Atlantic Council were making the rounds of Norwegian military installations, Arctic research centers, government ministers’ offices and the Royal Palace this week, on an official visit that included Liberation- and Veterans’ Day ceremonies on Wednesday. Climate change and military preparedness were on the agenda. [...]

New labour boss makes history

The election of Gerd Kristiansen as the new boss of Norway’s largest trade union federation LO means that the country’s two most powerful positions in the business and labour sectors are now held by women. Given poll results leading into the next national elections, Norway’s next prime minister, finance minister and foreign minister may be [...]

‘Russ’ keen to move up exams

Norway’s non-socialist political parties want to move up the date of high school students’ final year exams to before the Constitution Day holiday on the 17th of May. They think it makes much more sense for the graduating students called ‘russ‘ to celebrate and party after their exams, instead of before them. The suggestion to move the final exams to [...]

Høyre faces tough coalition-building

NEWS ANALYSIS: Norway’s Conservative Party (Høyre) is leading the pre-election campaign race in public opinion polls, but doesn’t want to lead a new government alone. Party boss Erna Solberg faces a tough time building a solid coalition with the country’s other non-socialist parties, though: One thing is getting them to agree on key issues, another is [...]

Labour’s tax relief upstages Høyre

On the very day that Norway’s Conservative Party (Høyre) was wrapping up its national meeting and rallying its troops to seize government power, Labour Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and his finance minister, Sigbjørn Johnsen, were revving up their own power themselves. They gleefully launched a so-called economic “growth package” aimed at boosting private business through [...]

Bombing repairs face long delay

It’s likely to take at least another decade before Norway’s state government officials can move back into a new headquarters complex in the heart of downtown Oslo. The current left-center government that was attacked by a bomber and gunman in 2011 has decided against making any rebuilding decisions before the fall elections. Newspaper Dagsavisen reported [...]

SAS keeps stake in Widerøe, for now

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) will be raising needed cash by selling off its short-haul, Norwegian-based airline Widerøe, but won’t be cutting its ownership ties to the carrier just yet. SAS doesn’t intend to shed its stake in Widerøe completely until 2016. SAS reported just before the weekend that it had struck a deal to sell 80 [...]

100 years of women’s right to vote

Norway is today a world leader in sexual equality and tops international charts for women’s position in the workplace. So it’s surprising to think that it’s only 100 years since Norwegian women were finally granted the universal right to vote, after a political battle that lasted 27 years. On June 11, 2013 it will be [...]

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