Norway's government to mull emergency supply centres
The proposal was adopted by Norway's parliament on Tuesday evening, and the government will investigate establishing emergency stores similar to those neighbouring Finland wants to adopt.
Finland has set itself the goal of setting up 300 such stores by 2028.
The Centre Party, the Progress Party, the Socialist Left Party, the Liberal Party, and the Labour Party supported Tuesday's proposal.
The emergency supply centres will need to be able to run in the event of emergencies such as large-scale power outages, such as those seen across parts of Southern Europe last week.
Once the government has conducted its investigation, it will report its findings to parliament.
The proposal was adopted as part of a wider focus on emergency preparedness.
Centre Party MP and former minister, Sandra Borch, who was among those who submitted the proposal, challenged Minister of Justice and Public Security Astri Aas-Hansen on why the government hadn't yet considered the shelters earlier.
Aas-Hansen said it was because Norway had chosen solutions to potential problems different from Finland.
'When it comes to food preparedness and food supply, Norway and Finland have chosen different solutions. The government's goal is for all grocery stores to be operational even during crises. So that people can shop in their usual store,' he was reported as saying by the newspaper
Nationen
.
Advertisement
The Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (Norwegian: Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap) already advises households have their own emergency supplies stocked.
READ ALSO:
The emergency supplies Norway's government wants you stock
Earlier this year, the government said it
wanted to reintroduce the mandatory construction of air raid shelters
in new buildings.
The same building regulation had previously been in place until 1998 but was axed following the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
According to government estimates, the country currently has enough air raid shelters to accommodate around 45 percent of its population.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Local Norway
2 days ago
- Local Norway
Norway votes down plan to limit investment in Israeli companies
Lawmakers voted by 88 to 16 against a proposal to order the fund to withdraw from companies "that contribute to Israel's war crimes and the illegal occupation" of the West Bank. Norway's sovereign wealth fund, fuelled by vast revenue from the country's oil and gas exports, is the biggest the world and has nearly $1.65 trillion invested around the globe. The government though is under pressure to use its financial clout to influence Israeli policy in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, where its settlement policy has been deemed illegal under international law. In a letter signed by about 50 non-governmental organisations, Norway's main union LO called on the Labour government to ensure that the fund's investments were in line with the country's legal obligations. The UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories on May 20 urged Oslo to "fully and unconditionally divest from all entities linked to Israel's unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory". Francesca Albanese said Norway's fund held $121.5 billion -- or 6.9 percent of its total value -- in companies "involved in supporting or enabling egregious violations of international law in the occupied Palestinian territories". Advertisement Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg in response called for an end to violence, the liberation of Israeli hostages kidnapped on October 7, 2023 and the resumption of humanitarian aid. But he said the fund's investments "do not violate Norway's obligations under international law". The fund is regulated by a raft of ethical rules and has already divested from 11 companies because of their activities in the occupied West Bank. In May, it withdrew its investment in Paz Retail and Energy, which distributes fuel in Israeli settlements. Relations between Norway and Israel have soured since May 2024, when the country joined Spain and Ireland in recognising the state of Palestine
Local Norway
2 days ago
- Local Norway
'Without BankID you are nobody': Foreigners in Norway lament bureaucratic headaches
Getting a Bank ID When asked to list their worst bureaucratic headaches in Norway the single most widespread gripe among our international readership and online groups was the complex and drawn-out process of obtaining a BankID, Norway's digital identity system. Without it, daily life grinds to a halt. 'You are effectively locked out of Norwegian society,' one reader said. 'No mobile phone number, no online shopping, no Vipps. There are some places where that is the only payment option, which is very frustrating." One respondent, Abby Noble, described it as a 'chicken and egg' conundrum. To get a BankID, you need a bank account. But to open a bank account, you need a registered address — which you often can't get without a bank account. "Why is a bank account necessary for having access to your health page in Norway?" complained Sebastian Rojas, from Chile. READ ALSO: What are the rules for getting a BankID at Norway's banks? The frustrations of having a D-number Many people, such as newly arrived asylum seekers or EU citizens planning to work in Norway for less than six months, or other foreign workers on job seeker permits, are only eligible for a D-number, which can make it hard to open a bank account or access a wide range of other services. Megan Thorsen said that after she was given a D-number on the back of her job-seeker visa, she struggled to set up something as basic as an internet connection. Others found that banks simply had no process for D-number holders, even when they had job offers in hand. 'I went to four banks,' one reader recalled. 'Eventually my Norwegian friend called his banker, who was shocked they couldn't help. They just hadn't seen the issue before.' But even getting a D-number seemed to take some time. 'Without a D-number, you are nobody. And nobody tells you what you're supposed to do next," one respondent moaned. Advertisement READ ALSO: How to switch from a D-number to a fødselsnummer in Norway Trouble opening bank accounts It wasn't only people on D-visas who had trouble opening bank accounts. One Polish respondent said the most frustrating thing about living and working in Norway was simply "waiting". "Over two months to open a bank account!" he exclaimed. "I think the response time to get all the papers ready is sometimes too much," Sebastian Rojas said. "To get my National ID number and the bank account took me at least three months. Without those two things in Norway you are very restricted to what you can actually do." Banks require physical documents, which are sent by post, and Norwegian post won't deliver unless your name is on the letter box. 'It was a nightmare,' said Abby Noble. 'I was only able to solve it thanks to kind Airbnb owners and friends I made at Norskkurs.' READ ALSO: What you need to know about opening a bank account in Norway UDI processing times Advertisement The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) also came in for heavy criticism — particularly for long waits for family reunification and citizenship applications. 'Family visas are taking 12 to 15 months,' said Frida Cota, who had to endure a long-distance relationship while waiting. "Citizenship applications are now taking 30 months if they are not automatically processed. And nobody knows or will tell what the criteria is for automatic processing." Carla Colombon, from Mexico, was unable to work for over 18 months while waiting to get all the necessary paperwork done. 'Such a waste of time and skills and super expensive for my partner and me to live on only one income." She said it has also been "incredibly frustrating" not to be able to travel freely when living in Norway on a temporary visa. Advertisement Problems getting appointments/phone contact "Have you tried calling any institutions? Waiting times of 30 min and more," complained one anonymous respondent, who described Norway as "close to a failed state". "And there is no feedback, as in normal countries (you don't get an option to evaluate how the phone call went)". "When you have to register in the country, the next appointment with the police is like half a year away somewhere in Finnmark," the commenter added. Contradictory answers/poor information Several respondents complained of getting contradictory information from different government officials, or on different government websites. "The information is not coherent," complained Elva Popsen from Greece. "When you register at UDI as a job seeker, nobody tells you that you should go to NAV [the unemployment service]. Also at the tax office, nobody tells you that you should try NAV first if you don't have a job yet." "Any interaction with government institutions leads to contradictory answers," agreed an anonymous respondent, pointing to a "discrepancy between what is indicated on the website and what was provided by direct communication". Lack of understanding among ordinary Norwegians "The challenges immigrants face are not relatable to most locals," Amber Renee explained. "They've never had to get a personal number, never had to deal with UDI, and never had to understand or care about any of these processes." "This seems to carry over to the native Norwegians who design the processes or are working in service positions for the bureaucracy. They still do not relate or understand the full picture and do not really care because it doesn't affect them." Would you add any other obvious bureaucratic hurdles? Share your own experience in the comments section below.
Local Norway
3 days ago
- Local Norway
Norway government agrees tax for areas hit by overtourism
The deal was struck after a group of mayors from the Lofoten islands travelled to Oslo on Monday to lobby the government and parliament after the parliament's business committee opted to limit the long-discussed tourist tax to visiting cruise ships. The three parties have a majority in the parliament, meaning the new tax was certain to be voted on when it comes before this parliament on Wednesday June 4th. "We have agreed on an effective model on visiting fees for areas with particular challenges, like the Tromsø region and the Lofoten Islands," the Centre Party MP Erling Sande, who leads the business committee, told the TV2 broadcaster . The tax will be levied on accommodation and cruise ships, but not on caravans, motorhomes, recreational boats or camping. Municipalities will be eligible to levy the tax if they can document "real pressure on infrastructure". Sande said the details over what would count as "real pressure" still needed to be finalised. "There are a handful of areas in our country. We see it in the Tromsø region, we see it in Lofoten, and there are some other places around the country where there is a particularly high load." The government's original plan for a 3 percent tax on accommodation was dropped by the committee last Wednesday at the last minute, with the committee instead opting to limit the tax to cruise ships. The government had already reduced the proposed rate for the accommodation sector from 5 to 3 percent this spring, bringing it in line with taxes in many European cities, but had left out cruise and campervan tourists. READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Norway's planned tourist tax Advertisement Municipalities were then, as now, granted discretion over whether to implement the tax, but the focus of the tax still drew anger from some business groups for missing its intended targets. Six mayors from Lofoten travelled to Oslo on Monday to try to revive the tourist tax on accommodation, as they did not believe that a cruise tax would be enough to solve the problems with overtourism in their communities.
