On Thursday, Jonas Gahr Støre presented a young government team consisting of ten women and nine men.
“This is a day that I, and many others, have looked forward to,” Støre said when he presented the list in the Norwegian parliament (Storting) just after 10 o’clock.
Støre was visibly affected by the events at Kongsberg the day before. The new Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl (SP) has been kept informed on an ongoing basis, he explained.
His government team is young, with an average age of 46 years. Mehl is the government’s youngest minister, at 28 years old. But she is ready for the task, Støre stated.
“She goes to a big job at a young age, but we are confident that we have a visionary and energetic politician who will take on this area,” Støre said.
The new minister of justice will have to handle multiple challenges related to preparedness, including internet-related challenges and artificial intelligence, the courts, and the criminal justice system.
Vedum, Finance Minister
The appointment of SP leader Trygve Slagsvold Vedum as Finance Minister has been ready for many days, according to Støre. He was full of words of praise for his new minister.
“He is a steady politician,” he noted.
AP deputy leader Hadia Tajik will be given one of the government’s most important tasks as Minister of Labor, Social Affairs, and Integration.
“We add integration and inclusion because it is so closely linked to work and getting more people into work,” Støre said.
The Ministry of Fisheries will also experience some changes in its portfolio. Bjørn Skjæran (AP) will be the new Minister of Fisheries – and Marine Affairs – which will include expanded activities related to aquaculture.
Huitfeldt, Foreign Minister
Støre says he never had any doubt that Anniken Huitfeldt (AP) was the right pick for the position of Foreign Minister. As chair of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee in the Storting, with her long experience in the party and also as a former minister, she was a safe bet.
“She knows security policy, knows where Norway stands,” Støre said.
Espen Barth Eide (AP) is also one of the Labor Party’s most experienced politicians, and Støre points out that his connection to international networks will be important in his role as Minister of Climate and Environmental Protection.
“Not least, we must work towards Europe,” Støre said.
The Utøya generation
The new government will have two ministers who were on Utøya on July 22, 2011: Tonje Brenna as Minister of Education and Jan Christian Vestre as Minister of Trade and Industry. In addition, there are several people from the Utøya generation among the new state secretaries.
Støre says that these people are building up the country politically and have dedicated their lives to it.
It is important to see a new generation take a seat in the government; it provides inspiration for the tasks that await, he added.
“When these great, young politicians have that background, I feel that we have taken an important step forward. And I am very proud of that,” Støre concluded.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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So we’re back to the leftwing/Labour wing of neocon foreign policy … remembering … and still seeing … our U.S. and Norwegian/Arbeidspartei attack on and holocaust in Libya, just for starters:
“Støre says he never had any doubt that Anniken Huitfeldt (AP) was the right pick for the position of Foreign Minister.”
Well that’s just swell.
So now, if we’re going down that hollow again, how about some genuine sivillforsvars – civil defense – preparations/precautions – *for everyone*?
(Wiki: A sunken lane (also hollow way or holloway) is a road or track that is significantly lower than the land on either side, not formed by the (recent) engineering of a road cutting but possibly of much greater age.)