Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon joined King Harald V of Norway as he presided over the Formal Opening of the 169th session of the Storting (Parliament) and delivered a speech from the Norwegian Throne at the Stortingsbygningen in Oslo.
King Harald V of Norway (wearing the Order of St. Olav and the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit) was joined by Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon as he presided over the Formal Opening of the 169th session of the Storting (Parliament) and delivered a speech from the Norwegian Throne at the Stortingsbygningen in Oslo.
King Harald’s Speech:
Honorable President, People’s representatives. I welcome the Storting to responsible work and wish that it must benefit the fatherland.
The government’s aim is for people to get better advice.
Workers have barely seen growth in real wages since 2015. In recent years, the energy crisis, the war in Ukraine and sharp price increases have contributed to people being less able to afford it.
We are now at a turning point in the economy.
This year, it seems that workers will get real wage growth. The price increase is on the way down. The salary settlement is good. The income tax for those with low and medium incomes is reduced. The scholarships in upper secondary education, the student grant, the commuter allowance and the trade union allowance are increasing.
Families with children get cheaper daycare, free core time in the after-school scheme and increased child benefit. The government is making arrangements for all children and young people to have equal opportunities to participate in culture, sports and leisure activities.
Old-age pensioners and other recipients of social security will receive an income boost.
Being in work is important for having security about your own finances. It is also important to avoid social differences. 145,000 more people have found work in the last three years. Registered unemployment is low, historically and compared to other countries.
The threat from organized crime is great in Europe. In Norway too, several people have been affected by this type of crime in the past year, particularly in Oslo.
The government is strengthening controls at the borders with more customs officials and better equipment.
The police will receive a significant increase in the budget. It provides more visible police on the streets and more resources to fight organized crime. The government will also make it easier to confiscate the proceeds of crime, whether it is money or objects.
Children and young people who commit criminal acts must be met with a swift response. The punishments for young people who commit criminal acts became stricter from 1 September. To prevent new recruitment into crime, the government is strengthening preventive arenas for children and young people.
Many sectors are experiencing labor shortages. In the perspective message, the government sets a target that 150,000 more people will be employed by 2030.
The goal is followed up in a number of ways: The government strengthens the work line and makes it easier to combine social security with work.
On 1 August, a new Education Act entered into force. There, the right to upper secondary education is replaced by a right to complete with a study or vocational qualification. It will provide more people with work.
The regulations for admission to higher education have been changed. Now more people will get started with higher education and work more quickly.
The government’s new strategy for digitization facilitates the liberation of labour.
Up until now, over 80,000 Ukrainian refugees have settled in all the municipalities. More and more of them are getting work.
Business life in Norway is going well and profitability is high. In recent years, the companies have set records in investments and exports. Through a predictable and active business policy, the government will facilitate further growth. In fisheries policy, the government will ensure a fairer and more predictable distribution of fishing quotas.
Norway has entered into a trade agreement with India. It will give Norwegian business and industry great export opportunities. The government’s initiative Green industrial lift provides better framework conditions for industrial projects that cut climate emissions.
The agricultural agreement facilitates a sharp increase in income for farmers. The agreement will contribute to increased self-sufficiency in food in Norway and lower emissions from agriculture. This happens, among other things, through water environment measures around the Oslofjord.
The new national transport plan also takes important steps to reduce climate emissions and land encroachment. In the state budget, the government will present a plan that will show how Norway will achieve the climate targets in 2030.
We need much more power, more grids and more energy in the years ahead. We must replace fossil fuels with renewable energy and ensure sufficient power at low prices. The government has ensured a change of pace in the investment in offshore wind. The first areas for an offshore wind farm on the Norwegian continental shelf have been allocated.
The government will reduce both geographical and social differences, so that people can live good lives both in the city and in the country.
The government’s aim is for more people to settle in the districts. Increased settlement is a central part of our preparedness and is strategically important, especially in northern Norway. The government facilitates settlement, including through free ferries, halved flight prices on the short-haul network and reduced nursery prices. Decentralized education and agreements on rural growth are among measures that contribute to activity and business development.
It is crucial that the municipalities have freedom of action and resources to solve the tasks according to their needs. In the years ahead, it will be particularly important to reduce social differences in the cities and prepare the municipalities for a time with more elderly people and more care tasks.
Next year, the municipalities’ income will be increased significantly. At the same time, the income will be distributed more evenly between the municipalities. Municipalities with low tax revenues must be strengthened. This facilitates equal services for citizens throughout the country.
In recent years, learning, motivation and the school environment have gone in the wrong direction. The government has put forward a report on primary schools, with measures to reverse the negative development.
All pupils must learn basic skills in reading, writing and arithmetic early on. The school day must be characterized by calm and concentration. The teacher is the boss in the classroom. Clearer rules for calm, order and behavior will result in more learning and better well-being. The school day will also become more practical, active and varied in all subjects.
Equipment for practical training and textbooks on paper are returning to classrooms. At the same time, the government is strengthening school libraries and motivating more reading.
Mobile phones during school hours hinder learning. The Directorate of Education has come up with a professional recommendation not to use mobile phones during lessons and during breaks. The government will come back with proposals for an age limit for the use of social media.
Everyone should have access to good, high-quality health services when they need it. The government implements the Waiting Time Promise and improves hospital finances. The goal is a marked reduction in waiting times in 2024 and 2025.
The government’s work to strengthen the GP service is yielding results. More and more people are getting a GP. Available general practitioners are of great importance for waiting times in the specialist health service.
Through the escalation plan for mental health, the government will work to ensure that more people experience good mental health and an increased quality of life. There must be a low threshold for seeking help when you experience psychological problems or disorders. Therefore, the government will strengthen access to such services in the municipalities and the capacity in mental health care.
In recent years, the government and the Storting have made many choices to preserve our shared values, and to promote security, peace and solidarity. Not least as a result of the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Through the Nansen programme, a united Storting has arranged for Norway to provide significant military, civil and humanitarian support to Ukraine. Our support helps protect the population from Russian attacks and maintain critical societal functions.
The Government has made arrangements for a significant strengthening of the Armed Forces. Norway has this year reached NATO’s two percent target. A joint Storting also reached agreement on a new long-term plan for the defense sector, the Defense Promise. The long-term plan improves weaknesses in the current defence. The plan strengthens both the navy, the land force and the air defense. The government has contributed to increased production capacity in the Norwegian defense industry.
The government wants to strengthen civil resilience in society and is putting forward a separate message on total preparedness. Work on establishing emergency storage for food grain in Norway is underway.
Pandemic, war in Europe, energy crisis, climate and nature problems and high price growth are some of the challenges we face in this decade. Together, we will take the country safely through troubled times. Together, we will contribute to stability and democracy in the world. And together we shall contribute to Norway remaining a country with small differences, high trust and strong community.
The government looks forward to good cooperation with the Storting.
I ask God to bless the Storting’s work, and declare Norway’s 169th Storting open.
