Briefly on the matter: – The government will not explain why the new agency for export control was added to Fornebu. – Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide points out that the government needs to shield its internal decision-making basis. – The placement of the new agency is controversial and has breathed life into the debate about “Oslo-centrism” and the guidelines for establishing government jobs. – Barth Eide has previously pointed out that the state saves on rental costs if the new agency shares premises with the National Insurance Agency (NSM). – The secrecy of the foreign minister arouses anger. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalist before publication. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide will not answer in detail what kind of assessments and criteria were used when the new agency for export control was added to the Oslo region. The fact that the election fell on Fornebu has caused considerable concern and raised debate about whether the government is following its own guidelines. The rule is that new government workplaces must be established outside the capital area. At the top, the new agency will share the scandal-plagued premises of the National Insurance Agency (NSM), which have received attention because they are financed through an unconstitutional loan. In an explanation to the Storting, the minister wrote that the government “needs to shield the considerations and the internal decision-making basis”. – Confidentiality to ensure proper internal decision-making processes within the government is a legitimate consideration that is also recognized in public law, he writes. Legally speaking, the Minister is covered by the Public Officials Act, which gives the right to access case documents, but not in ongoing internal discussions (see details below). But politically, the matter is more complicated. Section 14 of the Civil Service Act Jan Fridthjof Bernt, expert in administrative law – As a general rule, section 14 of the Civil Service Act will not grant access to purely internal case documents before a decision has been made. The same applies under section 15. It may still be relevant to demand that an assessment be made as to whether full or partial access is to be given under section 11 in such documents. For internal documents according to section 14, this will in practice only be relevant for purely factual information, for documents obtained from other agencies, on the other hand, there may be questions as to whether their assessments and the arguments put forward may be of such public interest that more access must be given according to this provision. – In accordance with current routines, I will not submit the internal localization analysis to the Storting, says Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide. Photo: NTB – Keeping this secret confirms that they have a bad argument The location of the new agency has already given life to debates about “Oslo-centrism” and “Austlands arrogance”. Now the “secrecy” of the foreign minister is causing further anger. – Keeping this secret confirms that they have a particularly bad argument for choosing Fornebu. The localization is contrary to the statutes for government workplaces, says the parliamentary representative for Hordaland, Ove Trellevik (H). Barth Eide has previously pointed out that the state saves on rental costs if the new agency shares premises with the National Insurance Agency (NSM). In December, it became known that the lease agreement to NSM has been financed through an unconstitutional loan. In addition, Barth Eide makes a point that the short travel distance and the possibility of physical meetings with the defense companies in the East have played a role in the decision. But without the fact that it has made Westerners more conciliatory. Quite the contrary. – The government seems to have given up on moving government workplaces out of central Austlandet, says Bergen mayor Marit Warncke. Photo: Simon Skjelvik Brandseth / news – Dare to remind that Bergen is the main base for the Navy – It is very easy to meet people face to face, even with the journey starting at Bergen Airport, says Tom-Christer Nilsen in Bergen Business Council. He refers to the so-called “Bergen Engines case”, which established a broad political understanding that Norway needs to tighten export controls. In 2021, Bergen Engines was a hair’s breadth away from being sold to a Russian-controlled company for 150 million euros. As the name of the company (“Bergen Engines”) suggests: There are companies that are exposed to insurance policy throughout the country. – The case with Bergen Engines shows that closeness to business and suppliers to the defense does not only apply to Austlandet. I dare remind you that Bergen is also the main base for the Norwegian Navy, says Bergen mayor Marit Warncke. Alfred Bjørlo (V) believes that the minister’s answer seems to be worded “with Oslo glasses”: – Here it seems that they are coming up with new arguments one after the other, to put it a little irreverently. And this about “functioning from day one” – it’s a generic argument against relocation that time and time again turns out to be nonsense. Most recently when NOREC (formerly the Peace Corps) moved from Oslo to Førde. See more reactions to the Fornebu election below. – The government is unable to follow its own guidelines Life Kari Eskeland, Høgre – The decision to establish the new agency for export control in the Oslo region stands out as highly special. Establishing government agencies in other parts of the country is in itself an important democratic argument, and should be emphasized more strongly by the government. The fact that opportunities for physical meetings are used as an argument seems strange – also all the while access to electronic meetings has become much better after the pandemic. It seems that the government has been looking for good arguments for a location in the Oslo region – so far none of the arguments that have been put forward are convincing. The Hurdalsplattforma has its statement that “New government workplaces must be located outside Oslo, unless completely obvious reasons dictate otherwise. The growth within existing government jobs must be distributed more fairly between city and country” seems hollow and without substance. Jeanette Syversen, group leader Raudt Vestland – There is nothing in the response to Barth Eide that suggests that these workplaces cannot be decentralised, and his response indicates that the government is unable to follow its own guidelines. More than ever, we need a government that will invest in employment in labor market regions outside Oslo. It will be possible to strengthen the government agencies, not least from a preparedness perspective, to become better acquainted with the districts in this country. Jan Fridthjof Bernt – Consideration of geographical distance from central administration should not be decisive for an external agency such as this. The point of the establishment of this body is clearly enough to establish an independent and independent agency that will be able to make its decisions and give its recommendations to political leadership on a purely professional basis. The contact with the ministry and political leadership must then be formalized and documented, both to maintain clear lines between professional and political responsibilities, and to give the decisions that are made greater weight and legitimacy. – Doesn’t strengthen trust in democracy or the governing authorities Administrative law expert, Jan Fridthjof Bernt, says that the need for contact with ministries or other agencies “can be dealt with in a safe way both through online meetings and through electronic communication” and that longer travel times can, if anything, be a advantage. – Geographical distance need not be a problem here, and can help ensure orderly case management and clear responsibilities, he says. Professor of jurisprudence at the University of Bergen, Hans Fredrik Marthinussen, sees an increasing tendency for internal decision-making processes to be exempt from publicity. – Here it is probably legal to refuse access, despite the provision in the law on greater access, but it does not strengthen democracy or trust in the governing authorities that public law is practiced in this way.
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The government keeps secret why they added new jobs to Oslo – news Vestland
