Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Find out what’s going on in Norway on Wednesday with The Local’s short roundup of important news.
Government mulls closing ports to Russian ships
In its latest round of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, the EU has proposed closing its ports to Russian ships, and non-EU member Norway is considering following suit.
“Norway stands together with the EU and other countries to ensure that the sanctions are strong and effective, and we will also implement this sanctions package. We will now review the proposals from the commission and assess whether there is a need for adjustments when the package is to be incorporated into Norwegian law,” Minister of Fisheries Bjørnar Skjæran told news wire NTB.
Last week in an address to Norway’s parliament Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the country’s decision-makers to bar Russian ships from ports.
Norway and Russia have various agreements on fishing in the Barents Sea, and PM Jonas Gahr Støre has said previously that banning Russian vessels may not be relevant.
Electricity support to rise to 90 percent this autumn
Norway’s electricity support scheme will be increased to 90 percent this autumn and winter. This means the government will cover nine-tenths of the bill when the price of electricity is above 70 øre per kilowatt-hour.
The electricity scheme has also been officially extended until March 2023.
The Socialist Left Party, which the government has relied on to get a majority for its policy, has said it will push for the scheme to be further strengthened in the autumn.
End of Covid business support may have led to a surge in bankruptcies
March saw the largest number of bankruptcies since November 2020. Analysts believe the end of the government’s Covid support scheme for businesses is part of the reason for the uptick, NTB reports.
Last month just under 300 companies went bust, the highest monthly figure for 16 months.
“Now that the support schemes no longer exist, it is natural that it has consequences for both individual companies and industries,” Julie Berg from Experian said in a statement.
The highest number of bankruptcies were in the north.
Government to open a new reception centre for asylum seekers
A new registration centre for asylum seekers is being set up in Gardermoen. The centre will be able to receive 200 asylum seekers a day, and it is planned to open on May 2nd, newswire NTB reports.
The centre will help increase the country’s capacity to register refugees and work in conjunction with the reception centre in Råde.
“The establishment of a new registration centre will increase the registration capacity of the Police Immigration Unit (PU) considerably when it is fully rigged and ready to receive Ukrainian asylum seekers,” Benedicte Bjørland said in a statement on the Norwegian Police Directorate’s website.
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Government mulls closing ports to Russian ships
In its latest round of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, the EU has proposed closing its ports to Russian ships, and non-EU member Norway is considering following suit.
“Norway stands together with the EU and other countries to ensure that the sanctions are strong and effective, and we will also implement this sanctions package. We will now review the proposals from the commission and assess whether there is a need for adjustments when the package is to be incorporated into Norwegian law,” Minister of Fisheries Bjørnar Skjæran told news wire NTB.
Last week in an address to Norway’s parliament Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the country’s decision-makers to bar Russian ships from ports.
Norway and Russia have various agreements on fishing in the Barents Sea, and PM Jonas Gahr Støre has said previously that banning Russian vessels may not be relevant.
Electricity support to rise to 90 percent this autumn
Norway’s electricity support scheme will be increased to 90 percent this autumn and winter. This means the government will cover nine-tenths of the bill when the price of electricity is above 70 øre per kilowatt-hour.
The electricity scheme has also been officially extended until March 2023.
The Socialist Left Party, which the government has relied on to get a majority for its policy, has said it will push for the scheme to be further strengthened in the autumn.
End of Covid business support may have led to a surge in bankruptcies
March saw the largest number of bankruptcies since November 2020. Analysts believe the end of the government’s Covid support scheme for businesses is part of the reason for the uptick, NTB reports.
Last month just under 300 companies went bust, the highest monthly figure for 16 months.
“Now that the support schemes no longer exist, it is natural that it has consequences for both individual companies and industries,” Julie Berg from Experian said in a statement.
The highest number of bankruptcies were in the north.
Government to open a new reception centre for asylum seekers
A new registration centre for asylum seekers is being set up in Gardermoen. The centre will be able to receive 200 asylum seekers a day, and it is planned to open on May 2nd, newswire NTB reports.
The centre will help increase the country’s capacity to register refugees and work in conjunction with the reception centre in Råde.
“The establishment of a new registration centre will increase the registration capacity of the Police Immigration Unit (PU) considerably when it is fully rigged and ready to receive Ukrainian asylum seekers,” Benedicte Bjørland said in a statement on the Norwegian Police Directorate’s website.
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