Political System at a Glance
Norway is a constitutional monarchy with parliamentary tendencies, which adopted its constitution on May 17, 1814. The King appoints ministers and the Prime Minister, but the government must also obtain a vote of confidence from Parliament. Although the king has no political power (he is, however, head of the Church of Norway), the royal family enjoys great popularity. The current monarch, King Harald V, acceded to the throne following the death of his father, Olav V, in 1991. The government consists of the Prime Minister and his ministerial team. The Parliament (Stortinget) is Norway's unicameral legislative institution. Based in Oslo, it comprises 169 members elected every 4 years by proportional representation. Since October 9, 2021, it has been chaired by Eva Kristin Hansen. The judiciary is represented by the Supreme Court, Høyesterett. Jonas Gahr Støre of the Labor Party(Arbeiderpartiet) has been Prime Minister since October 14, 2021.
International Relations
Norway is a member of NATO, the UN and the Nordic Council (political cooperation between Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Iceland and Norway). The President of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, is a former Norwegian Prime Minister. It provides substantial humanitarian aid to developing countries in Africa and Asia. Although not a member of the European Union, Norway has been a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) since its creation in 1960.
And the European Union?
After two successive rejections in 1972 and 1994, Norway's "no" vote did not facilitate rapprochement with EU countries. While governments have tried to maintain ties with EU countries, the question of eventual membership is no longer on the agenda, and is often left out of electoral debates.
September 2021 Elections
Labor (center-left) Jonas Gahr Støre (61-year-old millionaire, graduate of Sciences Po Paris and minister under Jens Stoltenberg between 2005 and 2013) won the parliamentary elections on Monday, September 13, 2021, after 8 years of conservative government with Erna Solberg. The Labour Party supports Norway's membership of NATO and the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement, which could change Norwegian foreign policy in the months to come. The oil question also promises to be a thorny one, as the environmentalists of the Environment and Green Party (MDG, for Miljøpartiet De Grønne) want to see an immediate halt to oil exploration in the country, something Mr. Støre rejects, advocating a gradual exit from the oil economy. In August 2021, the IPCC experts' report re-launched the "red alert for mankind", putting the issue of global warming at the heart of the election campaign.
The financial crisis of 2008
Norway was relatively unscathed by the global financial crisis of 2008. In 2009, the job market was weakened, and the government presented a 20 billion kroner support plan, including from oil royalties. By 2010, however, the recovery was underway and the emergency measures were lifted. The Norwegian economy shows great dynamism, with 3% growth in 2013, boosted by oil investments and household consumption. In July 2016, unemployment reached a record 5%. The country is heavily penalized by the fall in oil prices, and forecasts for the country are not very optimistic on the subject. In 2016, the GDP growth rate was 1.1%.
Norway and coronavirus
The COVID-19 pandemic hit Norway's economy in early 2020, and the government immediately instituted a lockdown lasting several weeks. The price of oil collapsed due to the lack of energy demand from abroad, despite the fact that this sector accounts for no less than 17% of GDP, 19% of investments and 52% of exports. But the outlook for Norway is good for a number of reasons: global demand for energy has picked up, Norwegians are supporting the domestic market, they consume a lot and the oil fund is securing the country's back.
Natural resources
Norway's natural resources include oil, natural gas, copper, pyrite, nickel, iron, zinc and lead, while its renewable resources include hydroelectricity, solar power, wood and wind power. Oil, the fossil fuel whose exploitation is responsible for global warming (cf. IPCC report, August 2021), is the main natural resource that today enables Norway to paradoxically top the list of the world's "greenest" countries, the kingdom of electric cars. Oil and gas deposits are mainly found in the waters off northern Norway. On the seaside, Norway exported 2.7 million tonnes of fish in 2020 despite the coronavirus (worth 10.6 billion euros), making fishing and aquaculture Norway's second most important export after oil.
Farmers and fishermen
More intensive agriculture is found along the Skagerrak in the south, where the coastal plain is wider, summers hotter and soils more fertile. The humid climate ensures an abundance of grassland for pastoral livestock farming. In the past, every village had its own alpine hut where cattle were herded in summer. The vast majority of farmers belong to sales cooperatives, which regulate the market and encourage the modernization of techniques. State-subsidized milk production remains very important. Some 2 million sheep graze on mountain pastures and, in the far north, 200,000 reindeer are raised in semi-freedom by the Saami. All along the coast, in addition to farming, most peasants fish, although the scarcity of certain species makes this a risky business. In the deep waters of the fjords, salmon is bred in aquatic farms. Finally, it was on the southern coast that ships were fitted out for whaling in Antarctic waters. For a long time, whaling was a Norwegian quasi-monopoly, but the Soviets began to compete. After the invention of the harpoon gun, whaling became so deadly that several species of cetacean are now extinct or on the brink of extinction. Between 1987 and 1993, the Norwegians halted whaling (except for scientific purposes) to allow them to return to a balanced reproductive rate. Since then, commercial whaling of this marine mammal has once again been authorized, and unfortunately, whale meat can still be found in many restaurants. Norway is one of the last countries to continue this practice, despite the international moratorium signed in 1986.
