Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Record numbers of people being granted citizenship, the PM saying now wasn't the time to mull EU membership, and the embassy in Kyiv reopening are among the main news stories from Norway on Wednesday.
New rules leads to record citizenship numbers
The number of people granted Norwegian citizenship rose considerably last year, new figures from Statistics Norway have revealed.
41,100 people were granted Norwegian citizenship last year. Before dual citizenship was adopted in 2020, 10,000 to 15,000 were typically given Norwegian passports per year.
Half of those to receive citizenship were from a European country. Before dual citizenship was adopted, 90 percent of those to become Norwegian citizens were from countries outside Europe.
Swedes topped the list as the group to have had the most successful applications last year. This was followed by Eritreans, Russians, Somalis and British nationals.
READ ALSO: Why your Norwegian citizenship application might be rejected and how to avoid it
PM says now is not the time for debate on EU membership
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has said now wasn’t the time for Norway to debate EU membership.
“I believe that an open country like ours should have a debate about our relationship with Europe. But we do not have an EU application as a topic we are debating now,” Støre told NRK.
We have a NATO membership that offers military security. We (will) strengthen the defence and cooperation. Norway is concerned with close and good cooperation with Europe. This government has it, and we have shown it over the last weeks and through the duration of the war (in Ukraine).
Next year Norway will have a report looking into its relationship with the EU, Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt told parliament on Tuesday.
READ ALSO: Why isn’t Norway an EU member?
Norway to reopen fire service in Kyiv
The Norwegian embassy in Kyiv is in the process of reopening, PM Jonas Gahr Støre has told broadcaster TV2.
Earlier this week, several other countries, including Denmark and Sweden, began reopening their embassies.
The embassy closed on February 24th, the same day Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
Fire service asks the public to drop disposable grills
The fire service has asked the public to be careful with open fires and to consider giving the disposable BBQ a miss to help prevent forest fires.
“If you are going on a trip in the woods and fields, then, by all means, continue with it. But the time is right to try something other than grilled sausages,” Knut Halvorsen from the Oslo fire and rescue service told news wire NTB.
So far this year, the fire service has responded to 600 callouts concerning forest and grass fires. Oslo fire service added that dry weather had increased the danger of forest fires occurring.
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New rules leads to record citizenship numbers
The number of people granted Norwegian citizenship rose considerably last year, new figures from Statistics Norway have revealed.
41,100 people were granted Norwegian citizenship last year. Before dual citizenship was adopted in 2020, 10,000 to 15,000 were typically given Norwegian passports per year.
Half of those to receive citizenship were from a European country. Before dual citizenship was adopted, 90 percent of those to become Norwegian citizens were from countries outside Europe.
Swedes topped the list as the group to have had the most successful applications last year. This was followed by Eritreans, Russians, Somalis and British nationals.
READ ALSO: Why your Norwegian citizenship application might be rejected and how to avoid it
PM says now is not the time for debate on EU membership
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has said now wasn’t the time for Norway to debate EU membership.
“I believe that an open country like ours should have a debate about our relationship with Europe. But we do not have an EU application as a topic we are debating now,” Støre told NRK.
We have a NATO membership that offers military security. We (will) strengthen the defence and cooperation. Norway is concerned with close and good cooperation with Europe. This government has it, and we have shown it over the last weeks and through the duration of the war (in Ukraine).
Next year Norway will have a report looking into its relationship with the EU, Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt told parliament on Tuesday.
READ ALSO: Why isn’t Norway an EU member?
Norway to reopen fire service in Kyiv
The Norwegian embassy in Kyiv is in the process of reopening, PM Jonas Gahr Støre has told broadcaster TV2.
Earlier this week, several other countries, including Denmark and Sweden, began reopening their embassies.
The embassy closed on February 24th, the same day Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
Fire service asks the public to drop disposable grills
The fire service has asked the public to be careful with open fires and to consider giving the disposable BBQ a miss to help prevent forest fires.
“If you are going on a trip in the woods and fields, then, by all means, continue with it. But the time is right to try something other than grilled sausages,” Knut Halvorsen from the Oslo fire and rescue service told news wire NTB.
So far this year, the fire service has responded to 600 callouts concerning forest and grass fires. Oslo fire service added that dry weather had increased the danger of forest fires occurring.
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