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Local Norway
3 days ago
- Business
- Local Norway
LISTED: Six new laws that need to be passed in Norway before summer
Close to 200 matters are scheduled for debate and decision up to the parliament's summer break, making this one of the most demanding legislative periods of the term. Several of these proposals and amendments, which are expected to be finalised and voted on in the coming weeks, will have a notable impact on life in Norway. READ MORE: Nine unmissable events in June 2025 New Kindergarten Act (June 3rd) A majority in parliament has reached an agreement on a new Kindergarten Act. The reform aims to change governance and financing rules, with the goal of ensuring greater transparency, higher quality standards, and improved financial oversight in both public and private kindergartens. Interested in finding out more about what makes kindergarten in Norway different? These are some of the biggest surprise s reported by foreigners bringing up children in this Scandinavian country. Motorhome driving license reform (June 3rd) New driving rules would allow holders of a standard Class B license to drive motorhomes weighing up to 4.25 tons, up from the current 3.5-ton limit. This change is backed by a parliamentary majority and is expected to benefit tourism and domestic travel. EXPLAINED: The ways you can lose your driving licence in Norway Advertisement Expanded dental care access (June 4th) A proposal supported by the Labour Party, the Centre Party, the Socialist Left Party, and the Red Party aims to extend free dental care from age 25 to 28. The plan also calls for a gradual expansion of public dental services, marking a step toward more comprehensive healthcare coverage in Norway. If you're wondering how dental care in Norway is structured at the moment, how much it costs, and what you should expect, check out this explainer . Tobacco regulations (June 4th) The Storting is expected to adopt stricter tobacco control measures, including a ban on smoking at playgrounds, sports facilities, and inside vehicles with children. The changes aim to strengthen protections against second-hand smoke exposure for minors. Advertisement Tourist tax (June 4th) A proposal to introduce a municipal tourist tax will be under review. Although a final agreement on the model has not been reached, there is growing parliamentary support for allowing municipalities to impose local fees to offset the environmental and infrastructural costs associated with tourism. Still, there isn't a clear majority in favour at the moment. The Local has a deep dive into the latest tourist tax developments in Norway, which you can find here . READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Norway's planned tourist tax Consent Act (June 5th) A new law defining rape based on lack of consent rather than use of force is set to pass with broad cross-party support. This represents a landmark shift in Norwegian criminal law, aligning with international human rights recommendations. Advertisement Revised national budget (June 20th) Finally, the 2025 revised national budget will be finalised by June 20th. Key sticking points include the Centre Party's demand for reduced food VAT and the Socialist Left Party's call for universal free kindergarten. These negotiations will likely influence fiscal policy well into the next term. You can find all the proposals that will be up for consideration in June on the parliament's website, here .
Local Norway
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Local Norway
Permanent residency rules: Everything that changes in Norway in June 2025
Parliament to vote on permanent residence rule changes The Norwegian parliament will vote on changing the Immigration Act to tighten the language rules for permanent residence for some applicants on June 6th. The bill will mean that applicants for permanent residency will no longer need to document that they have completed mandatory training in Norwegian language and social studies up to the most elementary A1 level, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Instead, applicants will need to take a test proving that they can speak Norwegian at the slightly more advanced A2 level, which is defined as the point at which people can understand simple everyday language and express themselves on basic topics. The rules won't apply to those in Norway under the EEA rules, as they instead get the right of permanent residence, which is slightly different. The law change will also introduce new limits to family reunification for immigrants with more than one wife and clarifies the legal basis for financial support for return or repatriation. Deadline to negotiate the revised national budget The revised national budget must be ready to be presented to parliament by June 13th and must be adopted before the parliament's summer break begins on June 20th. The current Labour government will need to negotiate with the Centre Party and the Socialist Left Party in order to reach majority support for its fiscal plan. The Centre Party left government earlier this year over a row on EU directives, while the Socialist Left Party has been Labour's preferred negotiating partner for budgets and major policy Both the Centre Party and Socialist Left Party have promised tough negotiations. The Socialist Left Party wants more redistribution of wealth, while the Centre Party wants to cut VAT on food. Advertisement Salmon rivers to open Salmon rivers in Norway will open for the season during June. The exact opening date may vary from area to area. The salmon season will then run until the end of August. Norway is considered by many to have some of the world's finest salmon fishing rivers. Those looking to fish must make sure they pay both for the fishing licence and the local fishing fee. Some rivers may not even open this year due to dwindling fish stocks. Summer solstice Saturday, June 21st 2025, will mark the summer solstice in Norway. In most parts of Norway, you can expect it to remain light hours past midnight. From that day forward, the days in Norway will gradually get shorter until the winter solstice in December. While the longest days of the year can make it hard to sleep if you don't have a curtain or blind, the extra light is perfect for activities like hiking and jogging after a long day at work. Longer trips are also possible as it won't get dark quite as soon. The sun will be visible between June 12th and July 1st as the clock strikes midnight in the Arctic Circle. In Bodø, the midnight sun is visible between June 4th and July 8th. Advertisement The sun is visible in parts of Norway as the earth rotates on a tilted axis relative to the sun. The north pole is angled towards the star, meaning the sun never sets. School summer holidays The last day of the school year across much of Norway will be Friday, June 20th, and kids won't return until a new school year begins on Monday, August 18th. Pride events Oslo Pride will occur between June 20th and June 28th, and the main parade will occur on June 28th. Oslo Pride is the country's largest LGBTQIA+ celebration. The parade will begin in Grønland. Bergen Pride will take place between June 13th and June 21st, with a parade and closing concert taking place on the 21st.
Local Norway
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Local Norway
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.
Local Norway
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Local Norway
EXPLAINED: Norway opens up protected rivers to power plants
What change did the Norwegian parliament vote through? The parliament voted through a proposal to allow consent to be granted to small hydro projects on protected rivers, without the applications needing to be decided by parliament, as they would be today. "Consent processing will be opened for power plants with over 1 MW capacity in protected watercourses where the social benefit, for example in the form of flood mitigation effects, is considered significant at the same time as the environmental consequences are considered acceptable," reads the controversial clause. The proposal was part of a larger package of measures designed to improve flood protection, which was backed by a broad majority, with a total of 78 MPs in favour and 21 against. The Labour Party, Conservative Party, Centre Party and Progress Party all voted in favour of the proposal, while the Green Party, Socialist Left Party, Liberal Party and Christian Democrats all voted against. What are protected watercourses? Norway in 1973 brought in a new plan permanently protecting 95 rivers and lakes and temporarily protecting 45 more, with further plans in 1980, 1983, 1993, 2005, and 2009, giving new watercourses protected status. There are currently 390 rivers and lakes with protected status, covering roughly 25 percent of Norway's catchment areas. What are opponents saying? Conservationist groups have been up in arms about the decision, mounting protests outside the parliament ahead of the vote. Truls Gulowsen, leader of the Norwegian Association for Nature Conservation, called the vote "terribly disappointing". "We will fight for every single protected waterway, for every river, every waterfall and every lake. We will not give up what we have won through more than a hundred years of watercourse struggle because of an ill-considered and irresponsible hasty decision." Une Bastholm, an MP for the Green Party, called it an "historic attack on Norwegian nature", and called on the parties that voted for it to stand by their promise not to let it mean "massive development in protected waterways". Lars Haltbrekken, an MP for the Socialist Left Party, called it "a sad day for nature." "These rivers should have been protected forever, and now a majority in the parliament is instead ready to destroy them forever," he said. Groups representing users of Norway's rivers were also critical with Pål Mugaas, spokesperson for Norske Lakseelver (Norwegian Salmon Rivers), telling The Guardian newspaper it was "a sad day for the wild salmon", and Live Steihaug Aasheim, general manager of Sjoa Rafting, telling NRK it could mean the end of "the entire rafting industry" on the Sjoa river. What are supporters saying? The government and the other parties backing the change have downplayed its significance, with Ingvild Kjerkol, the Labour Party MP who leads the Energy and Environment Committee, claiming that the vote will not mean rivers losing their protected status. "Just so there is absolutely no doubt: The protection has not been lifted. It remains. The Water Resources Act is not changing. Protected watercourses remain protected," she told NRK. "There won't be many projects. But a few projects can prevent floods from causing major damage to nature. And that can prevent days with extreme prices." The parties in favour argue that it is necessary to dam rivers in order to control flooding during periods of extreme rainfall, a consideration that has become more pressing after the severe floods in August 2023 destroyed bridges, roads and property. How many more hydropower projects are possible? While the change has been largely justified on the grounds of flood protection, Fornybar Norge, the Norwegian renewable energy lobby group, said in a statement last week that it supported the proposal to loosen river protections. 'This will, among other things, be relevant for projects that have a significant flood-reducing effect. At the same time, it is good that the decision is not a free pass for the construction of new facilities in protected watercourses.' The lobby group has long been calling for more hydropower to be built, claiming a need for new plants designed to ramp production up and down as rapidly as possible to make up for periods of low wind, when wind power production in the country can drop sharply. Will the change mean more power plants? Not automatically. Power plant developers will still need to submit proposals to the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, and secure all the necessary environmental permits, so it's likely to be years, perhaps as long as a decade before the change results in any new plants being built.
