Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
The settlement of refugees, aid goals and a record offer for farmers are among the main stories from Norway on Friday.
Record offer for farmers
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food has offered farmers and farming organisations 10.5 billion kroner in this year's settlement.
The offer is a record amount for the farming settlement. However, it is still more than a billion kroner short of farmers' demands. The ministry said this year's payment would cover both 2022 and 2023, the ministry said.
The government have met the farmers' demands for compensation for increased costs. However, the farmers want more money to close the income gap with other groups in society.
The government heavily subsidises farming in Norway to ensure the profession remains viable and food security is secure.
READ ALSO: Why food in Norway is so expensive
Aid spending at record high, despite target being missed
Norway gave away record amounts of aid for development assistance last year, but its aid targets were not met.
Every year Norway aims to donate one percent of gross national income in aid. However, this year, this amount only amounted to 0.93 percent of GNI, Christian newspaper Vårt Land reports.
The proportion is the lowest figure for ten years, despite Norway giving away a record 40.1 billion kroner. The target was not met partially due to record GNI being recorded last year.
Luxembourg is the only OCED country which provides a higher share of GNI than Norway, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
1,000 refugees have been settled in Norway's municipalities
Over 1,000 refugees have been moved from reception centres and settled in Norway, according to figures obtained by newspaper VG.
In recent weeks, there have been several reports and claims that the resettlement of refugees was going too slowly.
The process of moving refugees from reception centres was now going at "record speed", the director of the Directorate for Inclusion and Diversity (IMDI), Libe Rieber-Mohn, told the paper.
Over the next few weeks, around 5,000 refugees could be housed across Norway, when including those already resettled.
There have been 15,792 applications for asylum in Norway from Ukrainians since the end of February, according to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI).
Roads authority to access the benefit of electric cars in cities
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration would further look into the benefits of electric vehicles in urban areas.
The roads authority is looking into the benefits in light of a political desire from the government to cut back on the subsidies and benefits of using an electric car to incentivise more people to use public transport.
"Public transport is in a demanding period of restructuring after the pandemic, and we must look more closely at various measures that can make more people choose public transport," Minister of Transport Jon-Ivar Nygård said,
"The benefits of using electric cars in the cities may have contributed to more people choosing the car today. Therefore, we ask the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to assess the benefits of using electric cars in and near the urban areas," Nygård added.
READ ALSO: How owning an electric car in Norway could change
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Record offer for farmers
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food has offered farmers and farming organisations 10.5 billion kroner in this year's settlement.
The offer is a record amount for the farming settlement. However, it is still more than a billion kroner short of farmers' demands. The ministry said this year's payment would cover both 2022 and 2023, the ministry said.
The government have met the farmers' demands for compensation for increased costs. However, the farmers want more money to close the income gap with other groups in society.
The government heavily subsidises farming in Norway to ensure the profession remains viable and food security is secure.
READ ALSO: Why food in Norway is so expensive
Aid spending at record high, despite target being missed
Norway gave away record amounts of aid for development assistance last year, but its aid targets were not met.
Every year Norway aims to donate one percent of gross national income in aid. However, this year, this amount only amounted to 0.93 percent of GNI, Christian newspaper Vårt Land reports.
The proportion is the lowest figure for ten years, despite Norway giving away a record 40.1 billion kroner. The target was not met partially due to record GNI being recorded last year.
Luxembourg is the only OCED country which provides a higher share of GNI than Norway, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
1,000 refugees have been settled in Norway's municipalities
Over 1,000 refugees have been moved from reception centres and settled in Norway, according to figures obtained by newspaper VG.
In recent weeks, there have been several reports and claims that the resettlement of refugees was going too slowly.
The process of moving refugees from reception centres was now going at "record speed", the director of the Directorate for Inclusion and Diversity (IMDI), Libe Rieber-Mohn, told the paper.
Over the next few weeks, around 5,000 refugees could be housed across Norway, when including those already resettled.
There have been 15,792 applications for asylum in Norway from Ukrainians since the end of February, according to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI).
Roads authority to access the benefit of electric cars in cities
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration would further look into the benefits of electric vehicles in urban areas.
The roads authority is looking into the benefits in light of a political desire from the government to cut back on the subsidies and benefits of using an electric car to incentivise more people to use public transport.
"Public transport is in a demanding period of restructuring after the pandemic, and we must look more closely at various measures that can make more people choose public transport," Minister of Transport Jon-Ivar Nygård said,
"The benefits of using electric cars in the cities may have contributed to more people choosing the car today. Therefore, we ask the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to assess the benefits of using electric cars in and near the urban areas," Nygård added.
READ ALSO: How owning an electric car in Norway could change
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