Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
 Page 23 
 
 
III. TRADE POLICIES AND PRACTICES BY MEASURE 
(1) OVERVIEW  
1. Since Norway's last Trade Policy Review in 1996, it has maintained its traditional liberal 
trade policy, building on the implementation of the Uruguay Round results and, at least as important, 
the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement.  Mo st of Norway's trade is conducted on a duty-free 
basis under the EEA and other preferential agreements.  The average MFN tariff on industrial products is low, having fallen from 5.6% in 1995 to 2.3% in 2000;  some 73.1% of industrial tariff 
lines are now zero-rated.  In agriculture, Norway implemented its Uruguay Round commitments at the 
outset, also enhancing market access for products s ubject to tariff quotas.  Nevertheless, protection 
for the agricultural sector remains high:  the aver age MFN tariff on agricultural products was 38.7% 
in 1999. 
2. Under Norway's Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), imports of manufactures from 
beneficiary developing countries enjoy duty-free access, with the exception of certain textile, clothing 
and footwear products;  duty-free treatment is ac corded only to selected agricultural products.  
Imports from least developed countries enjoy duty- free access to the Norwegian market, except for a 
limited number of agricultural products.  The average tariff for imports from GSP ordinary 
beneficiaries was 5.3% in 2000;  the average tariff rate on imports from least developed countries was 1.2%. 
3. Domestic indirect taxes (VAT and excise) ma ke no distinction between  foreign and domestic 
goods;  however, they are high and in some cases (mot or vehicles, alcoholic beverages, tobacco) fall 
mainly on imports.  There have been no anti-dumpi ng, countervailing measures or safeguard actions 
taken by Norway since its previous Review.  A provision permitting the establishment of minimum prices for imports of certain fish pr oducts has not so far been used. 
4. The only quantitative restrictions in place are import quotas maintained under the Agreement 
on Textiles and Clothing;  these have been reduced since 1996 and now only apply to part of one HS 
tariff heading.  Goods subject to non-automatic  import licences include whale meat and related 
products.  The vast majority of Norwegian techni cal regulations and standards follow those of the 
European Union (EU) internal market in the area s covered by the EEA Agreement.  However, some 
Norwegian standards remain  stricter than in other EEA countries, mainly in the field of dangerous 
substances.  Importation and marketing of genetical ly modified substances requires approval and is 
subject to an assessment of the effects human health and environmental risk. 
5. Norway continues to grant substantial suppor t for regional development, promotion of 
research and development, economic restructuri ng and sector-specific programmes.  However, a 
number of programmes in existence during Norway's l ast Review have been discontinued, and overall 
support has been somewhat reduced.  The main  beneficiary of support is agriculture. 
6. The participation of the Norwegian State in th e economy remains important and, thus, so does 
government procurement.  Government procurement ru les are designed to confor m to EEA standards;  
Norway is also a member of the WTO Governme nt Procurement Agreement.  Competition policy 
functions in parallel with EEA regulations:  The alignment of Norwegian competition law with EEA 
regulations with respect to the competence of the competition authorities is currently under 
consideration.  Intellectual property legislation ai ms to reflect Norway's obligations under both the 
EEA and WTO Agreements.  WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
Page 24 
 
 
(2) MEASURES AFFECTING IMPORTS  
(i) Import procedures  
7. The Norwegian Customs comprises the Director ate of Customs and Excise in Oslo, an 
autonomous body directly under the Ministry of Finance, and the Regional Customs Administration.  
The Directorate is responsible for monitoring de velopments in international trade and business and 
industry, and for developing and formulating rules for the Ministry of Finance, which has ultimate 
decision authority.  The Directorate also admini sters the Regional Customs Administration, which 
encompasses 11 customs regions, 34 customs offices and 10 anti-smuggling and/or customs clearance units.  
8. Imported goods must be accompanied by an import declaration specifying their customs 
value;  an invoice;  a bill of lading or a transpor t document;  a certificate of origin, when preferential 
customs treatment is requested;  and an import licence or certificate when required.   Import 
procedures are relatively straightforward:  all import declarations are handled by the TVINN electronic clearance system, since 1994, which is accessible 24 hours a day.  Some 96% of customs declarations (single administrative declarati ons, SADs) are submitted to the Regional Customs 
Administration electronically by importers or their ag ents;  the remaining 4% of the declarations are 
presented manually, but processed el ectronically.  The electronic clear ance system includes checks to 
detect declarations that contain errors or may requ ire closer examination by customs officials.  If the 
declarations are not stopped by these control mech anisms, the goods are cleared within 3-5 minutes.  
The Regional Customs Administration handled 4.2 million customs declarations in 1997, collecting 
NKr 110 billion in duties and taxes for the Treasury , some 25% of the total Norwegian fiscal budget 
(90% was VAT and excise duties on imports).  In  1998 and 1999, although the number of declarations handled increased to 4.5 million and 4.65 million, respectively, the amount of duties collected declined to NKr 76.2 billion and NKr 72 billion.  
9. Importers are linked on-line to the customs au thorities and declare goods electronically.  Prior 
checking of declared values is carried out for 5% of  all declarations.  In addition to prior checking, 
post-audit controls are performed by the local cu stoms authorities.  In case of disagreement with 
respect to the customs value, tariff heading or duties, as determined by customs, importers may 
challenge customs decisions and lodge complaints (a ppeals) to the Directorate of Customs and Excise 
through the local customs authorities;  3,000 cases we re challenged in 1999.  The Directorate takes 
final decisions in most cases.  Approximately 800 a ppeals were dealt with in 1999, of which some 30 
were successful.  Only a few cases are passed on to the Ministry of Finance, which takes the final 
decision.  These cases were mainly related to customs valuation and excise duties.  
10. The Norwegian Directorate of Customs and Exci se cooperates with other European countries 
within the framework of the EFTA/EU.  In partic ular, there is extensive cooperation through EFTA as 
regards procedures relating to free-trade agreements and customs issues.  The Directorate of Customs 
and Excise has entered into 15 customs agreements  covering 19 countries, aiming at information 
exchange in connection with customs controls
1.  In addition, Protocol 11 to the EEA Agreement and 
Annex I of the EFTA Convention cover mutual assista nce in customs matters.  Since the last Trade 
Policy Review of Norway in 1996, a cooperation ag reement has been signed with Hungary, in 1997, 
and agreements with the Slovak Re public and the Czech Republic were  entered into in 1999.  An 
agreement with Slovenia was signed on 25 February  2000 and applies provisionally from the same 
                                                      
1 Agreements on mutual assistance in customs matt ers have been established between Norway and the 
following countries:  the C zech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, the Faeroe  Islands, Finland, Germany, Hungary, 
Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Nether lands, Poland, Russia, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the 
United Kingdom, and the United States. Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
 Page 25 
 
 
date.  The agreement regarding mutual assistan ce with Russia  was supplemented in 1997 with a 
memorandum between the State Customs Committee and the Directorate of Customs and Excise.  The 
agreement between the Netherlands and Norway on mutual administrative assistance in customs 
matters was supplemented in 1998 with a memo randum between both customs administrations. 
11. Pre-shipment inspection is not used in Norway.2 
(ii) Customs valuation and rules of origin 
(a) Customs valuation  
12. Tariffs are applied on the c.i.f. value of im ports.  Customs valuation procedures follow the 
provisions of the WTO Agreement on Customs Valuation (CVA).  Norway did not modify its 
legislation as a result of WTO membership:  th e Norwegian legislation notified under the Tokyo 
Round Customs Valuation Agreement is applied under the WTO Agreement on Customs Valuation.3  
The authorities have noted that Norway normally uses the transaction value for customs valuation 
purposes;  this method of valuation applies to r oughly 95% of all imports.  When the use of the 
transaction value is not possible, the alternative me thods of valuation stated in the CVA are used.  
Minimum prices or reference prices are not used for customs valuation.  
13. If the determination of the customs value of imported goods is delaye d, importers with a 
"credit status" may be permitted to release the goods  from customs.  A final declaration must be 
submitted and accepted within 10 days.  Importers  are entitled to an explanation from customs 
regarding the customs value of imported goods.  Co mplaints regarding the determination of the 
customs value are dealt with within a varying peri od of time, which depends on the complexity of the 
case at hand.  Since 1994, there has not been a maximum storage period for non-cleared goods.  
(b) Rules of origin 
14. Since the last Trade Policy Review in 1996, the most important change with respect to rules 
of origin has been the adoption by Norway of th e "New European Rules of Origin" system, at the 
beginning of 1997, which extend to a number of fre e-trade agreements (FTAs) in which the EU and 
EFTA participate4;  the system brings together separate fr ee-trade zones into a Europe-wide network.5  
Under the New European Rules of Origin system, or igin is conferred to pr oducts fulfilling "sufficient 
processing" criteria, which vary according to the pr oduct;  semi-finished products originating in any 
country of the system and that are further processed or assembled in any other partner country are considered as originating products, and may be traded accordingly between any of the countries 
involved in the cumulation system.  Although the general framework of the different existing FTAs 
remain unchanged, the Origin Protocols in each trade agreement have been replaced by the pan-
European cumulation provisions. 
                                                     
 
2 WTO document G/PSI/N/1/Add.3, 12 October 1996. 
3 WTO document G/VAL/N/1/NOR/1, 31 January 1996. 
4 Joint communication by the Europ ean Communities, Bulgaria, the Czech  Republic, Hungary, Iceland, 
Liechtenstein, Norway, Poland, Romani a, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia  and Switzerland (WTO document 
WT/REG18/N/3, WT/REG11/N/4, 20 August 1998). 
5 In the case of Norway, the agreements covered include:  EC-EEA coun tries (Iceland, Norway, 
Liechtenstein);  FTA EC-Norway;  Stockholm Convention  (EFTA);  FTA EFTA-Czech Republic;  FTA EFTA-
Slovak Republic;  FTA EFTA-Slovenia;  FTA EFTA-Hungary; FTA EFTA-Poland;  FTA EFTA-Bulgaria;  
FTA EFTA-Romania;  FTA EFTA-Estonia;  FTA EFTA -Latvia;  FTA EFTA-Lithuania;  and FTA EFTA-
Turkey. WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
Page 26 
 
 
15. The rules of origin in the EEA Agreement allow the incorporation of non-originating 
materials through processing operations and value adde d.  The value-added rules vary from 25% up to 
50% depending on the product.  In addition, in cases wh ere the origin criteria are not fulfilled, there is 
a general tolerance rule allowing for 10% of non-orig inating inputs excluding the textile sector.  For 
most textiles and clothing, the rules allow for input of non-originating materials at a certain stage in 
the manufacturing process.  In addition, the EEA ru les of origin allow, ex cept for the textile and 
clothing sector, the incorporation of some worki ng and processing carried out outside the EEA.  In 
this case, the total value acquired outside the EEA mu st not exceed 10% of the ex-works price of the 
final originating product.  As of 1 January 1999, th e criterion for determining origin is the last country 
where processing beyond the minimal processing requirements has taken place. 
16. Norway has notified to the WTO the use of non-preferential rules of origin, which are 
generally applicable.6 
(iii) Tariffs 
(a) Tariff revenue and types 
17. Tariff revenue collection in 1998 was NKr 2.6 billion (US$325 million), equivalent to just 
0.9% of total imports, or some 2.5% of dutiabl e imports.  Collection from non-EEA trading partners, 
which account for roughly 30% of total imports, re presented some 61.5% of the total.  The actual 
tariff revenue collected on imports from non-EEA States in 1998 was some 1.75% of the value of these imports. 
18. As of 1 January 2000, the Norwegian Customs Tariff, based on the Harmonized Commodity 
Description and Coding System (HS), contained 6,9 72 tariff lines at the eight-digit level.  The total 
number of lines is relatively low compared with ot her countries;  this is particularly the case for 
agricultural products (1,267 lines), resulting in an increase in the range of products covered by a 
single line. 
19. The Customs Tariff is passed annually by Parliament.   The printed version of the schedule 
specifies both MFN and preferential rates;  the sch edule is also available on the Internet (in 
Norwegian only).
7  The ready availability of the tariff schedule, including preferences and seasonal 
rates, makes an important contribution to transpar ency.  Duty rates in the industrial sector remain 
constant throughout the year.  In the agriculture sector rates may change either as a result of seasonal 
rates or of tariff reductions decided by the agricultural authorities.  Information on such 
administratively determined tariff rates is published by the agricultural author ities.  The changes are 
also reflected in the Internet version of the customs tariff. 
20. Most tariff rates in agriculture are specific:  in 2000, some 55.9% of tariff lines in the 
agriculture sector (HS 1-24) were subject to specific duties, 8.4% were subject to ad valorem  duties, 
and the rest were duty free.  Under the WTO definition of agriculture some 67.2% of tariff lines in the sector were subject to specific duties, 10.3% to ad valorem  duties, and the rest were duty free.  These 
figures do not take into account the administratively reduced rates for agricultural products, many of 
which have an ad valorem  and a specific component. 
21. Tariffs applied on manufactured products are almost all ad valorem .  Only essential oils 
(HS 3301), casein (HS 3501), albumins (HS 3502), acid oils from refining (HS 3823), waste of wool (HS 5103), and stockings for varicose veins (HS 61152010) are subject to specific rates.  
                                                     
 
6 WTO document G/RO/N/8, 5 March 1996. 
7 Internet address:  http://www.toll.no/tariff. Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
 Page 27 
 
 
(b) Tariff structure 
22. Norway applies at least MFN tariff treatment to all trading partners.  In 2000, 67.4% of all 
tariff lines were duty free, and most of the remain der were subject to rates between zero and 55% 
(Chart III.1):  some two thirds at rates greater th an zero but less than 10%, and one third at 10% or 
higher (up to 55%).  Some 73.1% of the tari ff lines for industrial products were zero-rated 
(Chart III.2).  In the case of agriculture, 35.7% of the lines were duty free. 
 
(0.8%) (0.5%) (0.7%)(1.5%)(29.2%)(67.4%)
05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,000
Duty free >0-55 >55-110 >110-165 >165-220 >2200102030405060708090100Chart III.1
Frequency distribution of MFN tariff rates, 2000a
Number of tariff linesPer cent
Cumulative per cent
Number of lines (% of total)
The total number of tariff lines is 6,972 but data presented exclude those with incomplete information .
WTO Secretariat calculations, based on data provided by the Norwegian authorities. a
Source :
 
23. The average MFN tariff in 2000 was 8.1%, less th an half the applied rate in 1995.  Tariffs 
on industrial products are generally  low:  the average MFN tariff rate using the WTO definition 
of industrial products is 2.3% (Table III.1).  It is just slightly higher (2.4%) using the HS definition 
(HS chapters 25-97) (Chart III.3).  The highest aver age rates in manufacturing are in HS chapters 53 
to 66, corresponding mostly to textile and clothing items (Table AIII.1).  Average rates by HS chapter 
rarely exceed 10% (except for certain detergents, plastic products, leather goods and in textiles and 
clothing).   
 
 WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
Page 28 
 
 
Share of lines in per cent
WTO Secretariat estimates, based on data provided by the Norwegian authorities.Chart III.2
Composition of Norwegian tariff, 1999
Total lines: 1,417Specific duty 
0.6%
Source :(a) Agriculture sector (HS 01-24) (b) Manufacturing sector (HS 25-97)
Specific duty
55.9%
Total lines: 5,555Duty-free ad valorem
73.1%Other
ad valorem
26.3%Duty-free ad valorem
35.7%
Other ad valorem
8.4%EFTA  
Duty free 
99.7%EFTA 
Specific duty 
52.1%
Table III.1 
Summary analysis of Norway's MFN tariff, 2000  
  Applied 2000 rates 1998 
Analysis No. of linesa No. of lines 
used Simple avg. 
tariff (%) Range tariff 
(%) Std-dev (%) CV  Imports (c.i.f.) 
(US$ million)
Total 6,972 6,774 8.1 0-550 33.9 4.2 37,478 
By WTO definitionb        
Agriculture 1,267 1,073 38.7 0-550 76.6 2.0 2,008 
Live animals and products thereof 111 73 186.5 0-550 138.3 0.7 39 
Dairy products 26 17 83.0 4-212 61.3 0.7 21 
Coffee and  tea, cocoa, sugar, etc. 238 203 37.4 0-427 65.5 1.8 693 
Cut flowers and plants 77 77 25.7 0-249 57.7 2.2 106 
Fruit and vegetables 341 305 33.8 0-307 63.3 1.9 435 
Grains 27 22 43.7 0-185 54.9 1.3 63 
Oil seeds, fats, oils and their products 164 115 12.3 0-135 24.7 2.0 162 
Beverages and spirits 67 66 13.3 0-316 44.1 3.3 210 
Manufactures 5,685 5,681 2.3 0-354 7.2 3.1 34,736 
Fish and fishery products 254 251 3.3 0-354 26.5 8.0 682 
Textiles and clothing 981 980 8.1 0-18 7.0 0.9 2,139 
By sectorc        
Agriculture and fisheries 525 478 27.0 0-550 70.3 2.6 1,154 
Mining 113 113 0.0 0 0.0  -  1,179 
Manufacturing 6,333 6,182 6.8 0-442 29.1 4.3 35,010 
By stage of processing        
Raw materials 973 911 16.9 0-550 57.6 3.4 2,900 
Semi-processed products 2,000 1,982 2.4 0-230 11.0 4.6 6,366 
Fully-processed products 3,999 3,881 8.9 0-442 33.6 3.8 28,211 
a Total frequency is listed. Tariff rates are based on a lower frequency of lines since lines with no information or  ad valorem  equivalents 
had to be excluded.  Estimated ad valorem  equivalents based on unit price 1997.  
b 20 tariff lines are excluded from both WTO agriculture and manufactures definitions (essentially petroleum products).  
c ISIC (Rev.2) classification.  Electricity, gas and water are excluded (1 tariff line). Note: CV = coefficient of variation. Source : WTO Secretariat estimates, based on data provided by the Norweg ian authorities.  For 1998, imports data from Statistics Norwa y, 
External Trade 1998,  converted to U.S. dollars. Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
 Page 29 
 
 
051015202530
25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55 57 59 61 63 65 67 69 71 73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97Bound rate
Applied MFNPer cent
Average 
applied rate 
(2.4%)
HS       Description
25         Salt; sulphur; earths and stone, etc.
26         Ores, slag and ash27         Mineral fuels, mineral oils, etc.
28         Inorganic chemicals; organic or 
             inorganic compounds of precious             metals, etc.29         Organic chemcials30         Pharmaceutical products31         Fertilizers    
32         Tanning or dyeing extracts, etc. 
33         Essential oils and resinoids;             perfumery, cosmetic or toilet             preparations34         Soap, organic surface-active              agents washing prep., etc.    
35         Albuminoidal substances;
             modified starches; glues, etc.36         Explosives; pyrotechnic products;             matches, etc37         Photographic or cinematographic              goods
38         Miscellaneous chemical products
39         Plastics and articles thereof40         Rubber and articles thereof41         Raw hides and skins and leather42         Articles of leather, etc.43         Furskins and artifical fur; 
             manufactures thereof
44         Wood and articles of wood, etc.45         Cork and articles of cork46         Manuf. of straw, of esparto, etc.   47         Pulp of wood or of other              fibrous cellulosic materialHS       Description
48         Paper and paperboard, etc.
49         Printed books, newspapers, etc.50         Silk
51         Wool; fine or coarse animal
             hair, etc.52         Cotton53         Other vegetable textile fibres 54         Man-made filaments   55         Man-made staple fibres 
56         Wadding, felt and non-wovens;
             special yarns; twine, cordage, etc.57         Carpets; other textile floor             coverings58         Special woven fabrics; lace, etc.59         Impregnated, coated, covered or
             laminated textile fabrics, etc.
60         Knitted or crocheted fabrics    61         Articles of apparel and clothing             accessories, knitted or crocheted62         Articles of apparel and clothing             accessories, not knitted, etc.
63        Other made-up textile articles;
             sets, worn clothing, etc.64         Footwear, gaiters, etc.65         Headgear and parts thereof66         Umbrellas, walking-sticks, etc. 67         Prepared feathers and down, etc.
68         Articles of stone, plaster, etc.
69         Ceramic products70         Glass and glassware71         Natural or cultured pearls,             precious or semi-precious             stones, precious metals, etc.HS       Description
72         Iron and steel
73         Articles of iron and steel74         Copper and articles thereof
75         Nickel and articles thereof
76         Aluminum and articles thereof 77         unassigned chapter.78         Lead and articles thereof   79         Zinc and articles thereof 80         Tin and articles thereof
81         Other base metals, etc.
82         Tools, implements, cutlery             spoons and forks, etc.83         Misc. articles of base metals84         Nuclear reactors, boilers,             machinery, etc.
85         Electrical machinery and
             equipment, etc.86         Railway or tramway              locomotives, etc.87         Vehicles other than railway             or tramway rolling-stock; etc.
88         Aircraft, spacecraft, etc.
89         Ships, boats, etc.90         Optical, photographic, etc.              apparatus91         Clocks and watches, etc.92         Musical instruments, etc.
93         Arms and ammunition, etc.
94         Furniture, bedding, etc.95         Toy, games, etc.96         Miscellaneous manuf.              articles97         Works of art, antiques, etc.Chart III.3
Tariffs on manufactured products by HS chapter, 2000
Source:  WTO Secretariat calculations, based on data provided by the Norwegian authorities, and Schedule LIV - Norway.Note:      No entries for HS Chapter 77. For HS 35:
Applied MFN = 49.0 %Bound rate = 119.4 %
 WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
Page 30 
 
 
24. MFN tariffs in agriculture, the result in many cases of tariffication during the Uruguay 
Round, are high.  The average rate in 1999, including specific rate ad valorem  equivalents (AVEs), 
was 38.5% under the WTO definition of agriculture, or 33.6% for HS chapters 1-24.  Rates range 
from zero to 550%.  Live animals, meat, and dairy products face particularly high tariff rates (215.9%, 
181%, and 131.5%, respectively using HS definitions).  Edible fruit, nuts, beverages and oils have 
among the lowest average rates, some 13% in each case (Chart III.4).  
25. Tariffs vary considerably between product groups, particularly in agriculture.  Sectors where 
there is no or little domestic production are generally  subject to zero or low average tariffs, for 
example, coffee, tea, spices;  vegetable extracts and plaiting materials;  sugar for human consumption;  
and tobacco.  Sectors of domestic interest are generally  subject to higher tariff rates, e.g. live animals, 
dairy products, and grains (subject to an average tariff of 43.7%). 
26. Due to the high protection granted to groups of agricultural products, raw materials are on 
average subject to a much higher rate (17.7%) than  semi-processed or finished goods (2.6 and 9.3%, 
respectively).  This situation, which would pena lize domestic industries using raw materials, has 
generally been addressed through drawbacks fo r MFN trade and through a system of price 
compensation for preferential trade (RÅK scheme).  In addition, a system of inward processing for 
export is in place (see below). 
27. An examination of Norway's 2000 MFN rates by two-digit ISIC industry indicates tariff 
escalation in most industries;  it is especially pronoun ced in textiles clothing and leather (Chart III.5). 
(c) Tariff bindings 
28. Norway bound its entire tariff schedule during the Uruguay Round.  Prior to the Uruguay 
Round, some 97% of tariff lines in manufacturing and some two thirds of lines in agriculture were bound.  The average bound rate in 2000 is 27.5%, down from 29% in 1999, and 39.2% in 1995.  This average hides, however, a great dispersion in bo und rates.  While tariffs in agriculture (WTO 
definition) have been bound at 154.3%, the average bound rate for manufacturing is just 3.6%.  In 
agriculture, bound tariffs take the form of both specific and ad valorem  rates;  Norway reserved the 
right to apply whichever is higher.  Among agricu ltural goods, bound rates for live animals, meat, and 
dairy products are the highest (Table AIII.2).  For most manufacturing activities, bound rates are 
identical to applied levels, the exceptions relate mainly to certain fish and fisheries products and 
textiles and clothing.  The authorities have noted that  Norway has carried out several unilateral tariff 
reductions since 1996, covering a sizeab le number of tariff lines, partly to simplify the tariff structure, 
and partly to reduce distortive effects on supply and demand. 
(d) Seasonal tariffs 
29. Most fresh fruit and vegetables are subject to seasonal tariffs.  These rates are mainly specific 
and have relatively high AVEs in most cases.  When ad valorem  rates are applied, they are normally 
at the three-digit level.  Dispersion between the in-season and out-of-season rates is large, partly due 
to the incorporation of past import licensing and other measures.  As an illustration, tariffs on fresh or 
chilled tomatoes vary between free and NKr 12.21 per kg.;  and on cauliflowers between free and 
NKr 5.82 per kg. (Table III.2) - applicable rates ma y be found in the Internet version of the tariff 
schedule).  The duration of the lower out-of-season pe riod varies according to the product.  In many 
cases, seasonal rates may be lowered through admini strative decision.  Imports from least developed 
countries may generally enter Norway duty free throughout the year. 
 Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
 Page 31 
 
 
Chart III.4                                             
Tariffs on agricultural products by HS chapter, 2000
050100150200250300350400
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24Per cent
Source :  WTO Secretariat calculations based on data provided by the Norwegian authorities and Schedule LIV - Norway.Average 
applied rate
 (33.6%) 
HS
01
0203
04 
0506
07
08
09
1011
12
1314
15
1617
18
19
20
2122
23
24Description
Live animals
Meat and edible meat offalsFish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates
Dairy produce, birds eggs, natural honey, edible products of animal origin  
Products of animal origin, n.e.s.Live trees and other plants;  bulbs, roots and the like;  cut flowers
Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers
Edible fruit and nuts;  peel of citrus fruits or melons
Coffee, tea, mate and spices
CerealsProducts of the milling industry;  malt;  starches;  wheat gluten
Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits;  miscellaneous grains, seeds and fruit
Lacs;  gums, resins and other vegetable saps and extractsVegetable plaiting materials;  vegetable products n.e.s.
Animal or vegetable fats and oils and other cleavage products;  prepared edible fats; etc.
Preparations of meat, or fish or of crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebratesSugars and sugar confectionery
Cocoa and cocoa preparations
Preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk;  pastrycooks' products
Preparations of vegetables, fruit, nuts or other parts of plants
Miscellaneous edible preparationsBeverages, spirits and vinegar
Residues and waste from the food industries;  prepared animal fodder
Tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutesApplied MFN Bound rateWT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
Page 32 
 
 
Table III.2 
Seasonal tariffs applied on selected vegetables, 2000 
HS heading Product description  MFN duty            
(NKr per kg./unit; %) Preferential duty   
(NKr per kg./unit; %)a
0701.9014 Potatoes, fresh or chilled, from 15 May to 15 July 191% 0-189% 
0701.9021 Potatoes, fresh or chilled, from 16 July to 14 May 100% 0-96% 
0702.0011 Tomatoes, fresh or chilled, fr om 1 November to 9 May free free 
0702.0022, 0023 Tomatoes, fresh or chille d,  from 10 to 31 May  12.21 0-12.21 
0702.0030  Tomatoes, fresh or chilled, fr om 11 July to 14 October 8.86 0-7.86 
0702.0040  Tomatoes, fresh or chilled,  from 15 to 31 Oc tober 1.60 0-1.36 
0704. 1011 Cauliflower, from 1 June to 31 July 5.82 0-5.52 
0704.1021 Cauliflower, 1 August - 14 October  1.77 0-1.50 
0704.1031  Cauliflower, from 15 October - 30 November  0.18 0-0.15 
0704.1041  Cauliflower, from 1 December - 31 May  free free 
0704. 2010 Brussels sprouts, from 21 September – 31 May 9.16 0-8.76;  0-0.80b 
0704.2020  Brussels sprouts, from 1 June - 20 September  0.24 0-0.24 
0704.9013 Red cabbage, from 1 October - 31 May 1.71 0-1.63 
0704.9020 Red cabbage from 1 June - 31 July 3.58 0-3.50 
0704.9040  Red cabbage, from 1 Oc tober - 31 July  1.86 0-1.78 
0704.9050  Red cabbage, from 1 A ugust - 30 September  0.05 0.05 
0705.1111  Iceberg lettuce, from 1 March - 31 May  16.31 0-1.00c 
0705.1121  Iceberg lettuce, from 1 June - 30 November  10.95 0-10.63 
0705.1130  Iceberg lettuce, from 1 December - 28/29 February  free free 
0705.1140  Other lettuce, from 1 March - 31 May  166% 0-163%;  0-24%d 
0705.1150  Other lettuce, from 1 J une - 30 September  74% 0.70% 
0705.1160  Other lettuce, from 1 Oc tober - 30 November  165% 0-161% 
0705.1170  Other lettuce, from 1 December - 28/29 February free free 
0705.1910 Other, from 1 April -30 November 17.40 0-17.00;  0-2.52e 
0705.1990  Other, from 1 December - 31 March 10.95 0-9.31 
0706.1011 Carrots from 1 May - 31 August 2.61 0-2.53 
0706.1021 Carrots from 1 September - 30 April 1.15 0-1.07 
0706.9020 Radishes from 1 April - 30 November  19.36 0-18.96 
0706.9030 Radishes from 1 December - 31 March 18.22 0.00 
0707.0010 Cucumbers, fresh or  chilled, from 10 Marc h - 31 October 7.74 0-7.34 
0707.0020  Cucumbers, fresh or  chilled, from 1 November  - 30 November 0.60 0-0.60 
0707.0030  Cucumbers, fresh or chilled, from 1 December - 9 March free free 
0709.1010  Artichokes, from 1 June - 30 November 0.08 0.00 
0709.1090  Artichokes, from 1 December - 31 May free free 
0709.2010  Asparagus, from 1 May - 14 November  0.08 0.00 
0709.2090  Asparagus, from 15 November - 30 April free free 
0709.4010  Celery, from 1 July - 31 August  5.26 0-4.94 
0709.4020  Celery, from 1 September - 30 June  3.35 3.35;  0-0.32f 
0709.6010  Peppers, from 1 June - 30 November 0.24 0-0.24 
0709.6020  Peppers, from 1 December - 31 May  0.12 0-0.12 
0709.7010 New Zealand spinach, from 1 May - 30 September 19.28 0-18.88 
0709.7020  New Zealand spinach, from 1 October- 30 April 0.24 0-0.24 
a Duty-free rates apply to imports  from least deve loped countries. 
b From 19 March - 31 May 2000.  
c From 26 March - 20 April 2000.  d From 2-22 April 2000. 
e From 1-22 April 2000. 
f From 1 February - 15 April 2000. 
Source:  Ministry of Finance.  Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
 Page 33 
 
 
0510152025
Food,
beverages and
tobaccoTextile and
leatherWood and
wood productsPaper, printing
and publishingChemicals Non-metal
mineral
productsBasic metal Fabricated
metal
products,
machineryOther
manufacturingChart III.5
Tariff escalation by 2-digit ISIC industry, 2000
Per cent
   WTO Secretariat calculations, based on data provided by the Norwegian authorities. Source :First stage of processing Fully processed Semi- processed46.3%
 
(e) Tariff preferences 
30. Due to the large share of trade with other EEA and EFTA countries, only a small proportion 
of Norwegian trade takes place outside preferential rules.  However, despite the larger number of 
countries receiving preferential treatment since the last Trade Policy Review in 1996, these tariff 
preferences have been considerably eroded in recen t years, reflecting the elimination on an MFN basis 
of tariffs on most industrial products.  Tariffs on intra-EFTA trade in manufactured products were 
removed by 1966;  the removal was extended to fish and fish products in 1990.  Although agriculture 
is not covered by the EEA Agreement, Norway grants preferential tariff treatment on a number of products and an evolutionary clause ensures progressive  mutual liberalization of agricultural trade.  
However, the margin of preference granted to ot her EEA or EFTA members is very small in the case 
of agriculture (see below).  
31. A limited number of agricultural imports from the EU are subject to preferential treatment.  
Duties have in many cases been eliminated on th e industrial components of processed agricultural 
products, mainly those included in HS chapters 17- 22;  trade in these products is regulated by 
Protocol 2 of the Free Trade Agreement betw een the EC and Norway, as adjusted in 1996.
8  Duties on 
processed agricultural products are established on the basis of a standard recipe (e.g. for grain 
products, flour, cheese, and some other products), on the basis of a matrix, or based on actual content.  For certain products, the calculation of duties is su bject to de minimis quantities (in the matrix or 
                                                     
 
8 Council Decision 96/753/EC of 6 December 1996, concerning the conc lusion of an Ag reement in the 
form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Community and the Kingdom of Norway on Protocol 2 to 
the Agreement.  Norway an d the EU have also negotiated arrangements relating to trade in certain processed 
agricultural products in Protocol 3 of the EEA Agreement, yet to be approved. WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
Page 34 
 
 
recipe), under which no duty is paid.  The refere nce rates (in NKr/kg.) of the agricultural raw 
materials used for the calculation of the duties ap plied on the processed agricultural products are 
contained in Council Decision 96/753/EC;  refere nce rates differ from those contained in the 
Norway's tariff schedule for the relevant products.9 
32. The rate applied to imports of agricultura l goods from EFTA and EEA countries in 2000, at 
36.2% and 38.5%, respectively, including both prefer ential treatment and autonomous tariff rates, was 
just slightly below the MFN rate.  The average tari ff applied to the EEA in 1999 was 6.2%;  the rate 
for manufactured products was barely 0.1%, mainly due  to the inclusion of fishery products in the 
WTO definition of manufacturing, since feedstuffs are not zero rated (Table III.3).  For some 
agricultural products, seasonal tariffs on imports from EEA and EFTA countries are lower than MFN 
rates (Table III.2). 
Table III.3 
Summary analysis of Norway's preferential tariff, 2000  
   Simple average tariff (%)  
Analysis No. of linesa EEA EFTA EC GSP-ordinary GSP-LDC 
Total 6,972 6.2 5.8 5.7 5.3 1.2 
By WTO definitionb       
Agriculture 1,267 38.5 36.2 36.0 31.0 7.2 
Live animals and products thereof 111 186.5 186.4 186.5 164.6 16.5 
Dairy products 26 83.0 80.2 81.6 81.7 22.6 
Coffee and tea, cocoa, sugar, etc. 238 37.3 27.2 27.7 30.2 7.1 
Cut flowers and plants 77 25.5 25.3 25.0 21.9 4.0 
Fruit and vegetables 341 33.7 33.5 32.8 22.4 4.7 
Grains 27 43.7 43.5 42.2 37.4 29.1 
Oil seeds, fats, oils and their products 164 12.1 12.0 12.1 9.8 7.3 
Beverages and spirits 67 13.3 10.2 10.0 7.0 0.0 
Manufactures 5,685 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.4 0.1 
Fish and fishery products 254 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.0 1.4 
Textiles and clothing 981 0.0 0.0 0. 0 1.6 0.0 
By sectorc       
Agriculture and fisheries 525 27.0 26.7 26.4 21.1 2.7 
Mining 113 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
Manufacturing 6,333 4.7 4.2 4.2 4.2 1.1 
By stage of processing       
Raw materials 973 16.9 16.6 16.6 13.2 2.0 
Semi-processed products 2,000 1.1 1.1 1.1 0.9 0.5 
Fully-processed products 3,999 6.3 5.6 5.5 5.7 1.5 
a Total frequency is listed. Tariff rates are based on a lowe r frequency of lines since lines with no information or  ad valorem  
equivalents had to be excluded.  Estimated ad valorem  equivalents based on unit price 1997. 
b 20 tariff lines are excluded from both WTO agriculture and manufactures definitions (essentially petroleum products). 
c ISIC (Rev.2) classification.  Electricity , gas and water are excluded (1 tariff line). 
Source : WTO Secretariat estimates, based on data provided by the Norwegian authorities. 
                                                      
9 For example, based on Council Decision 96/753/EC, duties on ice cream containing cocoa 
(HS 2105.0010) are calculated on the basis of a standard recipe of 35 kg. of whole milk powder per 100 kg. of 
goods plus an industrial tariff element.   The reference rate for whole milk powder for use in standard recipes is 
NKr 11.78/kg.  The agricultural component of the tariff is hence (0.35x11.78) = NKr 4.12/kg.;  to this, the 
industrial component NKr 0.97/kg. must be added, and a duty of NKr 4.50/kg. is obtained.  This rate, applied to 
imports from the EU, compares with an MFN rate of NKr 9.66/kg.;  a GSP rate of NKr 6.56/kg.;  and duty free for imports from least developed countries. Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
 Page 35 
 
 
33. Tariff preferences are also extended to Greenland and the Faeroe Islands.  In the case of 
Greenland preferential treatment is extended to a number of agricultural products.10  Imports of 
manufactured products from the Faeroe Islands ar e granted duty-free access to Norway;  selected 
agricultural products enjoy tariff reductions or elimination. 
34. In the context of the free-trade agreements  between EFTA and a number of countries in 
central and eastern Europe, Norway grants, with  limited exceptions, duty-free access on imports of 
manufactured goods from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic , Estonia, Hungary, Latvia; Lithuania, Poland, 
Romania, the Slovak Republic, and Slovenia.  Agri cultural products are in principle excluded from 
these agreements, with the exception of the products specified in each FTA.  Similar conditions apply 
to Israel, and Turkey, and since the second half of  1999, with Morocco and the Palestinian Authority, 
with which EFTA also has bilateral FTAs.  Conditi ons applicable to each FTA, including product lists 
and the respective tariffs, are published in an annex to the annual Customs Tariff;  they can be found 
on Norway's tariff schedule (available on the Internet).   Imports of  textiles and clothing were initially  
subject to a timetable for the dismantling of tariffs  under most of Norway's FTAs;  in all FTAs in 
force, duty-free treatment has now been reached. 
35. Under Norway's Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), imports of manufactures 
from beneficiary developing countries enjoy duty- free access, except for some textile, clothing 
and footwear products included in a negative lis t which, the authorities noted, was revised from 
1 January 2000 reducing the exceptions to duty-free tr eatment;  in addition, all three country-specific 
negative lists relating to Korea, Macau, and Hong Kong, China were deleted.  For agricultural goods, 
duty-free treatment is accorded to selected products and on the industrial element of some processed 
foodstuffs.  Tariff reductions in the 10-50% range are granted on some specific agricultural items, 
such as grains (10%), certain oils and fats (50%), meat and meat products (10%), feeding stuff (10%),  
certain flowers, fruit, vegetables, nuts, honey, some  live plants, cut flowers, seeds, pasta, jam, and 
juices (15%), and products granted minimum access under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture 
(10%).  Imports from least developed countries enjoy duty-free and unrestricted access for all 
manufactured and agricultural products except flour, grains and feeding stuffs, on which tariffs are 
reduced by 30% within certain indicative ceilings:  100,000 tonnes for grains for human consumption;  
20,000 tonnes for protein feeding stuffs;  and 75,000 tonnes for carbohydrate feeding stuffs.  A 
number of vegetables are subject to preferences on a seasonal basis only.  Imports of most products 
originating from least developed countries enter No rway duty free;  this includes a wide range of 
agricultural goods.  Norway's GSP scheme does not contain a graduation mechanism. 
36. Norway's imports from countries eligible for G SP treatment represented 60% of total dutiable 
imports from developing countries in 1997, down from 70% in 1996.  The degree of utilization of 
preferences was the same in both years:  74%.  In the case of least developed countries, the degree of 
utilization is 75%.  The main benefici ary countries in absolute terms are:  China (with a total value of 
imports benefiting from GSP treatment of NKr 2.13 billion in 1998);  Korea (NKr 513 million);  
Singapore (NKr 336 million);  Thailand (NKr 229 m illion);  Malaysia (NKr 173 million),  India 
(NKr 162 million);  and Argentina (NKr 121 million).  As a percentage of dutiable imports, the main 
beneficiaries in 1998 were:  Fiji, Bahrain, Bo tswana, Tanzania, Ghana, Namibia, Mozambique, 
Ecuador, and Nepal, with GSP treatment on between 90% and 100% of dutiable imports. 
(f) Concessional rates 
37. A system of tariff concessions for the inward processing of agricultural products intended for 
export has been in place since 1995.  The system allows for the reduction or suspension of customs duties on condition that the processed goods are exported within a time-limit specified for each 
applicant (inward processing).  To benefit from th e scheme, importers must obtain an authorization 
                                                     
 
10 Agreement between Denmark and Norway of 21 December 1984. WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
Page 36 
 
 
from the Norwegian National Grain Administra tion before importation of the inputs.  
The authorization is subject, however, to consent from the agricultural authorities.  A system for 
non-agricultural products for inward processing is also in place.  For these products there is no need to 
obtain an authorization.  A system of draw backs and customs warehousing (processing warehouse) 
for both non-agricultural and agricultural products also exists. 
38. The system of general and individual tariff su spensions was abolished from 1 January 2000.  
Most industrial products previously granted general or individual duty suspensions are now duty free.  
Agricultural products imported for the manufact ure of non-agricultural products are granted 
individual duty suspensions, generally when they ma y not be delivered by a domestic manufacturer in 
sufficient quantities.  
39. Imports of aircraft components falling under th e WTO Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft 
are subject to special rules.  An  annual circular from the Directorate of Customs and Excise specifies 
duty exemptions applying to these imports.  Ente rprises or subcontractors participating in the 
construction programme for F-16 fighter jets ar e exempt from paying duty on production equipment 
and components or parts included in the aircraft.  
(g) Tariff quotas 
40. Norway uses tariff quotas both for MFN and preferential trade.  At the MFN level, quotas are 
applied on agricultural goods, resulting from the tariffication process during the Uruguay Round.  
Although tariff quotas were committed for both minimum access and current access products, in 
practice all imports under current access commitments take place at a single ta riff rate.  Only imports 
subject to minimum access commitments are faced with tariff quotas resulting from the WTO 
Agreement on Agriculture (Table III.4).11  Since the last Trade Policy Review in 1996, Norway has 
continued enhancing market access for products subject to  minimum access commitments 
(Chapter IV and Table IV.1). 
41. WTO minimum access quotas are allocated to the highest bidder at quota auctions according 
to arrangements established by Royal Decree of 30 June 1995.  Revenue collected from the auction of 
quotas for 2000 was NKr 14.05 million.  Allocations to importers are made by the Norwegian National Grain Administration, under the Ministry of Agriculture, which administers the import 
regime for agricultural products.  Allocations ta ke place normally in October for quotas valid the 
following year. 
42. Quotas for turkey roll and meat of deer, elk a nd other game, previously based on past import 
performance, are now also allocated through aucti ons.  In the case of meat of game, new importers 
may be granted up to 20% of the quota.  Restrictions  to applications from new entrants for turkey roll 
quotas have been eliminated. 
43. Tariff quotas for apples and pears are seasonal:  app lications for a share of the quota must be 
submitted before 1 March.  Quota allocations are determined on the basis of import performance in 
the past three years.  A "commencement" quota ma y be granted for new importers.  For apples, the 
allocation of quotas is divided into three periods:  7,000 tonnes are allocated for 1 May to 31 July, 
750 tonnes for the period 1 August to 30 November, and 250 tonnes for the period 1 to 30 November.  Tariff quotas for pears (250 tonnes) are allocated for 11 August to 30 November. 
44. Tariff quotas under the Generalized System of Pr eferences are also a llocated through an 
auction system;  until 1996 the system was based on import performance in the previous three years.  
Auctions for quotas in the following year take place in the autumn.  Successful bidders are allocated 
up to 50% of the total quota.  Quota entitlements ar e valid until the end of the calendar year;  quota 
entitlements for canned vegetables are allocated for two years.  
                                                     
 
11 WTO document G/AG/N/NOR/1, 24 August 1995. Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
 Page 37 
 
 
Table III.4 
Tariff quotas applied by Norway in 2000  
Heading No. Description of goo ds Quantity/Value Reference 
Preferential quotas 
0406.00 Cheese 2,574 tonnes Agreements with EU and Switzerland  
1214.90 Hay 25,500 tonnes National regulation 
0602.10 Unrooted cuttings and slips NKr 2 million Norway-EC Agreement (1993) 
0602.30 Azalea indica NK r 10 million Norway-EC Agreement (1993) 
0602.99 Flowering potted plantsa NKr 8 million Norway-EC Agreement (1993) 
0811.10 Strawberries, added sugar 220 tonnes EFTA-Poland Agreement 
0811.10 Strawberries, no sugar added 1,400 tonnes EFTA-Poland Agreement 
0811.20 Raspberries, blackberries, mulberries and 
loganberries, no sugar added 750 tonnes EFTA Agreements with Poland and 
Hungary  
2009.70 Apple juice 500 tonnes EFTA Agreements with Estonia, Lithuania, 
Hungary and Poland  
0204.00 Meat of sheep 600 tonnes Norway-Iceland Agreement 
GSP-quotas 
0409.00 Natural honey 192 tonnes  National GSP regulation 
1602.50 Corned beef 200 tonnes National GSP regulation 
1602.50 Canned tongue 50 tonnes  National GSP regulation 
1602.41 Canned ham 100 tonnes National GSP regulation 
2005.40 Canned peas 200 tonnes  National GSP regulation 
2005.51 Canned string beans 100 tonn es National GSP regulation 
2002.51 Canned green beans 50 tonn es National GSP regulation 
2005.90 Canned mixtures of vegetables  150 tonnes National GSP regulation 
Minimum access quotas   
Chapters 02 and 16 Meat of bovine animals for promotional 
fairs and product testing 35 tonnes National regulation, WTO Agreement 
0202.1000/       
2000/3001/3009 Meat of bovine animals, frozen (ex 02.02) 1,084 tonnes WTO Agreement 
0203.2100 Meat of swine 1,381tonnes WTO Agreement 
0204.10/21/23/30/
41/42/43/50 Meat of sheep (ex 02.04) 206 tonnes WTO Agreement 
0207.2100  Meat of poultry (ex 02.07 221 tonnes WTO Agreement 
0207.2300 Duck meat 221 tonnes WTO Agreement 
02072200. Turkey meat 221 tonnes WTO Agreement 
0405 Butter 575 tonnes WTO Agreement 
0407.0019 Eggs 1,295 tonnes WTO Agreement 
0704.9013/      
9020/9040 Cabbage (ex 07.04) 268 tonnes WTO Agreement 
0208.90 Meat of deer 25 tonnes WTO Agreement, national regulations 
0208.90 Meat of elk 100 tonnes WTO Agreement; national regulations 
0208.90 Meat of other animals and meat of grouse 
and woodbirds 250 tonnes WTO Agreement; national regulations 
1602.31 Turkey roll 20 tonnes WTO Agreement; EFTA-Israel Agreement 
0602.99 Potted plants, flowering and decoration 
plants NKr 10 million WTO Agreemen t; national regulations 
0603.10 Cut flowers  NKr 1 million WT O Agreement; national regulations 
0603.10 Flower of bulbs NKr 0.5 million WTO Agreement; national regulations 
0808.10 Apples seasonal quota GATT Agreement 
0808.20 Pears 250 tonnes GATT Agreement 
a Excluding Begonia elatior, Campanula, Chrysanthemum, Euphor bia pulch, Hibiscus, Kalanchoe, Pelargonium, Primula and 
Saint-Paulia. 
Source : Information provided by the Norwegian authorities. 
 WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
Page 38 
 
 
(iv) Other charges affecting imports 
(a) Value-added tax 
45. A value-added tax (VAT) is char ged on all goods and services stipulated in chapter 13 of the 
VAT Act, including imports.  The VAT is single-rated, at 23%;  exempt from it are services related to health, culture, education, passenger transport, hotel accommodation, lawyers, property leasing, banks 
and insurance.  Books, newspapers  and periodicals, as well as elec tricity for household consumption in 
northern Norway are zero-rated.  An investment tax is levied on certain capital goods used in businesses registered in the VAT census;  the current rate is 7%.  The refund scheme for milk, cheese 
and various meats, which lowered the average effective tax rate to 15%, has been eliminated since 
Norway's last Review. 
46. Revenue from the VAT and the investment tax combined was NKr 113.4 billion in 1999 
(US$14.2 billion), or some 20.1% of total tax revenue and some 64% of  revenue from taxes on 
production and imports (Table III.5). 
Table III.5 
Government revenue from duties a nd excise taxes in Norway, 1996-99  
 Share in government revenue (%) Value (NKr million) 
 1996 1997 1998 1999 1996 1997 1998 1999 
Customs duties on imports 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 2,455 2,437 2,574 2,316 
Product-specific excise taxes 7.9 8.65 8.52 7.76 42,798 46,521 49,303 45,851 
Liquor/wine 0.70 0.77 0.78 0.91 3,710 4,041 4,116 4,800 
Tax on bottles/cans 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 51 66 59 63 
Beer 0.54 0.58 0.63 0.67 2,829 3,065 3,317 3,553 
Tax on bottles/cans  0.01 0.01 0.00 0.01 13 13 11 22 
Basic tax on non-refillable beverages 
packaging 0.02 0.03 0.03 0.04 129 166 162 231 
Tobacco 1.03 1.13 1.24 1.27 5,430 5, 988 6,588 6,700 
Motor vehicles total 2.56 2.85 2.64 2.34 13,905 15,041 15,888 13,830 
       Tax on acquisition 1.7 1.9 1.7 1.4 8,945 9,771 10,078 7,800 
       Annual tax 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.7 3,403 3,688 4,247 4,400 
       Annual tax, trucks 0.06 0.05 0.04 0.04 315 271 214 229 
Kilometre tax, trucks 0 0 0 0 13 4 1 1 
Tax on transfers 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 1,229 1,307 1,348 1,400 
Petrol 1.9 2.0 1.9 1.7 10,154 10,903 11,312 9,700 
Auto diesel 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.8 2,912 3,406 3,763 4,400 
Boat engines 0.01 0.02 0.02 0.02 67 84 107 114 
Mineral oil 0.3 0.3 0.3 0 1,671 1,665 1,698 0 
Lubricating oil 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 62 63 67 71 
Coal and coke 0 0 0 0 11 6 2 0 
Chocolate 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 714 743 781 837 
Carbonated beverages 0. 11 0.13 0.15 0.16 594 678 813 866 
Tax on bottles/cans 0 0 0 0 10 11 9 10 
Sugar 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 186 193 234 252 
Non-carbonated beverages  0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 22 20 23 25 
Tax on bottles/cans 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 32 33 32 35 
Audio/video cassettes 0. 01 0.01 0.01 0.01 40 40 42 45 
Radio/television sets, etc. 0.05 0.06 0.05 0.06 256 296 278 297 
VAT/Investment tax 17.9 19.2 18.9 20.1 94,692 10,901 110,615 113,400 
Electricity, consumption 0.54 0.62 0.55 0.57 2,887 3,294 2899 3,002 
Electricity, production 0.29 0.28 0 0 1,533 1,471 2 0 
Tax on performance fee 0.00 0.00 0.00 0 20 14 2 0 
Conveyances/documents 0.34 0.42 0.35 0.48 1,798 2,258 2,057 2,700 
Passenger air transportation 0.11 0.13 0.20 0.21 605 666 1,056 1,130 
Total taxes on production and imports 27.94 29.85 28.79 31,41 147,545 160,016 168,950 176.570 
Total government revenue 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 528,077 536,085 586,816 562,990 
Source:  Information provided by the Norwegian authorities. 
 Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
 Page 39 
 
 
(b) Excise duties 
47. Despite a relatively low level of tariffs for industrial products, some manufactured imports 
face high levels of taxation from excise duties, pa rticularly alcoholic beve rages, tobacco, motor 
vehicles, petrol, and other sources of energy.  Excise duties are a much more important source of tax 
revenue in Norway than tariffs:  in 1999, all ex cise duties combined accounted for some 25.8% of 
revenue accruing from taxes on production and imports, comp ared with just 1.3% from tariffs.  Excise 
duties affect imports as well as domestic producti on;  in some cases (motor vehicles, alcoholic 
beverages, tobacco) they fall mainly on imports. 
48. Taxes on alcohol are specific;  the higher duties appl y generally to wine and spirits (Table III.6).  
Some excise duties are applied to foster environmenta l protection.  Mineral oil and natural gas flared 
offshore are subject to carbon and sulphur dioxide (CO 2, SO 2) taxes.  Environmental taxes are levied 
on both imported and domestically pr oduced beverage packaging, at rates linked to recycling rates. 
(c) Other charges 
49. Imports of agricultural products are subject to inspection or foodstuff taxes levied at various 
rates (Table III.7).  Some products are affected by both the inspection and the foodstuff taxes, for 
example, ham, some dairy products, most ve getables, and preserved vegetables and fruit. 
(v) Import prohibitions, restrictions and licensing 
(a) Import prohibitions and restrictions  
50. Import prohibitions  may be applied for sanitary and phytosanitary, environmental, health, or 
security reasons.  Products banned for safety or health reasons include asbestos and products 
containing asbestos; and products containing CFCs, halons, carbon tetrachloride, methyl chloroform 
and other ozone depleting substances.12  Import prohibitions apply to some live plants (Table III.8) 
and plants that host certain diseases.  
51. A number of products are admitted into Norway conditionally, mainly for health and safety 
reasons (Table III.8).  Imports of soil, peat, barks,  compost or animal manure must be accompanied by 
a phytosanitary certificate from the exporting country's official plant inspection service,.  Under the 
Regulations relating to the import of  plants and parts of plants, etc, to Norway, of 10 September 1998, 
plants and parts of plants for cultivation and propa gation must have been under official phytosanitary 
surveillance during the growth period to be allo wed importation into Norway.  According to the 
authorities, the purpose of this control is to make  sure that the plants do not contain harmful 
organisms, such as nematodes, insect s, cultures of viruses, bacteria and fungi, listed in Appendix 1A 
of the Regulations of 10 Septembe r 1998, and which importation into No rway is prohibited.  Imports 
of timber, wood and chips from countries outside Europe  are subject to certain conditions and must be 
accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate;  impor ts from Canada, China, Korea, Japan and the 
United States are prohibited.  Imports of grains ar e also subject to the presentation of a phytosanitary 
certificate (Table III.8). 
 
                                                      
12 In accordance with Regulation for CFCs and halo ns of 21 January 1991 and Regulation for carbon 
tetrachloride and methyl chloroform of 28 March 1995. WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
Page 40 
 
 
Table III.6 
Main excise duties, 1999  
Duty Amount (NKr) 
Excise duty on alcoholic beverages over 22%  volume of alcohol 6. 90/volume % and litre 
Excise duty on alcoholic beverages between 15% and 22% volume of alcohol 6.82/volume % and litre 
Excise duty on alcoholic bevera ges between 7% and 15% volume of  alcohol 3.58/volume % and litre 
Excise duty on beer and alcoholic  beverages between 6.75.% and 7% volume of alcohol 30.98/litre 
Excise duty on beer and alcoholic  beverages between 5.75% and 6.75%  volume of alcohol  29.62/litre 
Excise duty on beer and alcoholic  beverages between 4.75% and 5.75% volume of alcohol 22.82/litre 
Excise duty on beer and alcoholic  beverages between 3.75% and 4.75% volume of alcohol 16.05/litre 
Excise duty on beer and alcoholic  beverages between 2.75% and 3.75% volume of alcohol 9.26/litre 
Excise duty on beer and alcoholic  beverages between 0.7% and 2.75% volume of alcohol 2.46/litre 
Excise duty on beer and alcoholic  beverages with less than 0.7% volume of alcohol 1.55/litre 
Tax on alcoholic beverage and soft drink containers (returnable) 3.37/container 
Environmental tax on non-ref illable beverage contai ners (except milk, cocoa drinks) 0.79/container 
Taxes on tobacco: cigars, cigarettes, snuff tobacco 0.79/gram;  1,58/unit;  0.45/gram 
Excise duty on motor vehicles Cl ass A (personal use) 23.92 per kg. for the first 1,150 kg.;  47.85 
per kg. for the next 250 kg., and 95.70 for any 
weight above.  To this a tax of 7.28/cm3 for 
the first 1200 cm3 must be added; 19.07/cm3 
for the next 600 cm3;  44.84 for the next 
400 cm3;  and 56.03 for the rest.  A tax of 
95.27/kW for the first 65 kW;  347.5/kW for 
the next 25 kW;  695.22/kW for the next 
40 kW;  and 1,176.66/kW for the rest must be added. 
Excise duty on motor vehicles  Class B (buses, vans, lorrie s and combined vehicles under 
3,500 kg.);  Class C (camping vans);  Clas s D (lorries, and combined vehicles over 
3,500 kg.);  Class E (semi-traile rs);  and Class H (taxis)  20% 28%, 35%, 36%; and 40% of the duties 
for the corresponding vehicle in Class A 
Excise duty on motorcycles 6,550 per unit, plus 22.5/cm3 in excess of 
125 cm3 and up to 900 cm3 and 49.33/cm3 for 
volume in excess of 900 cm3.  To this a tax of 
291.5/kW for motor power over 11 kW must 
be added. 
Excise duty on scooters 30% of the customs value. 
Excise duty on gasoline Gasoline cont aining over 0.05gr./litre of lead: 
5.03/litre;  cont aining less than 0.05 gr./litre of 
lead, 4.5/litre;  unleaded gasoline 4.25/litre 
Excise duty on mineral oil (autodiesel) 3.54/litre 
Excise duty on motor boats NKr 118.5/hk 
Duty on consumption of electr ical power 5.94 øre/per kWh 
CO 2 tax for minerals General rate:  mineral oils and coal 
46 øre/litre;  gasoline 92 øre/litre.  Reduced 
rate mineral oils 23 øre/litre;  gasoline 24 øre/litre. 
SO 2 tax for minerals General rate: mineral oils 7 øre/litre;  
coal 3/kg.;  Reduced  rate mineral oils 
1.3 øre/litre 
Excise duty on radio and TV material 10.35% 
Excise duty on soft drinks and syrups 1.55/litre (drinks);  9.30/litre (syrups) 
Excise duty on tapes 4/tape (audio);  20.17/tape (video) 
Excise duty on sugar 5.38/kg. 
Excise duty on chocolate and candy (1 April – 31 December) 13.89/kg. 
Excise duty on the carriage  of passengers by air (1 January- 31 May 1999, and 
1 June-31 December 1999, respectively) 106 per seat for flights abroad;  53 per seat for 
domestic flights;  and 228 per passenger for 
flights abroad;  114 per passenger for 
domestic flights, respectively. 
Note: 100 øre = 1 NKr. 
Source:  Information provided by the Norwegian authorities. Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
 Page 41 
 
 
Table III.7 
Inspection and foodstuff taxes, 2000 
Charge, rate (%) Product (relevant HS between parentheses) 
Inspection tax (0.82) Basic and semi-processed agricultural products 
Inspection tax (0.64) Processed agricultural products 
Control tax (Variable) Meat and meat products 
Foodstuff tax (0.73) Dried and salted meat a nd meat flour (02.10);  dairy products (04) ;  guts and internal organs of animals 
(05.04);  other animal products (0511.9940);  vegeta bles, fruit and nuts (07, 08);  coffee (09);  
cereals, grains, seeds (10, 11, 12);  some resins (13) ;  some fats and oils (15);  some sugar and sugar 
products (17);  some cocoa products (18); preserve d vegetables and fruits, extracts, essences and 
concentrates of coffee,  waters, flours, meals and pelle ts, salt, essential oils, de xtrine and other modified 
starches (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 33 and 35) 
Reduced foodstuff tax (0.58) Certain othe r products (16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23) 
Source:  Information provided by the Norwegian authorities. 
Table III.8 
Types and scope of restrictions affecting imports 
Import restriction No. of Lines Value in 1998 
(NKr million) HS chapter(s) 
Prohibited and restricted items    
Asbestos and products c ontaining asbestos 13 13 25,68 
Products containing CFCs 61 48.1 39,44,73,74,76,84,86,
94 
Plants listed in Appendix II and III of th e Regulations relating to the import of 
plants and parts of plants, etc. to No rway, of 10 Septembe r 1998 (elm, conifers, 
chestnut, beech, poplar, prunus, oak, st rawberry, chrysanthemum, gerbera, 
berberis, plants host of fire blight, San José scale and sharka)a Undefined .. 06, 07, 08, 12 
Plants and parts of plants infected with those harmful organisms listed in 
Appendix IA and more than slightly infected with organisms listed in 
Appendix IB of the 1998 Regulations  Undefined .. 06, 07, 08, 12 
Consignments of plants that have been refused entry to Denmark, Finland, or 
Sweden Undefined .. 06, 07, 08, 12 
Imports admitted conditionally    
Alcoholic beverages etc. 26 1,244.7 22 (29) 
Cosmetics etc. contai ning alcohol 15 1,718.6 33 
Products for animal feeding 142 2,091 05,07,08,10,11,12,17,
23 
Health control – veterinary or phytosanitary 181 2,648 06,07,08,09,10,12,25,
31 
Explosives, etc. 8 203 36 
Weapons 24 1,360.8 93 
Products for human consumption – health c ontrol Undefined  .. 01 to 23 + 25, 29, 30, 
35, 38 
Pharmaceutical products 71 1,918.4 21,28,29,30,38,40 
Soil, peat, animal manure, and bark  Undefined .. 25, 27, 31, 44  
Timber, wood and chips from elm, conifers, ch estnuts, beech, poplar, and oak Undefined .. 44 
Genetically modified organisms Undefined .. 06, 07, 08, 12, 20 
Toys containing phtalates for children less than 36 months in age .. .. 95 
Plants and parts of plants  Undefined .. 06, 07, 08, 12 
Imports requiring a (non-su rveillance) licence 13 99 02.56b 
.. Not available. 
a The import ban applies to all countries in the case of elm, st rawberry, chrysanthemum, gerbera, berberis and mahoberberis pla nts 
and parts of plants.  It applies to imports from all countries  outside Europe in the case of chestnut, beech, poplar,  prunus, oak 
plants and parts of plants, and conifer plan ts and some parts of plants.  Imports of  timber, wood and chips of conifers from 
Canada, China, Korea, Japan and the United States are banned. 
b Licence not required for goods of Chapter 56 originating in a country with which Norway/EFTA has a free-trade agreement. 
Source:  Information provided by the Norwegian authorities. 
 
 WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
Page 42 
 
 
52. Norway regulates the importation and marketing of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)  
through the Gene Technology Act of 2 April 1993,  which entered into force on 1 September 1993.  
The Act implemented EU directives 90/219 on the contained use of genetically modified 
micro-organisms, and 90/220 on the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms, and 
contains provisions regulating the marketing a nd importation of GMOs.  The Gene Technology Act 
was amended in 1996 and a new section introduced allowing the au thorities to pass regulations 
concerning the obligation of Norwegian citizens or companies to report to the competent Norwegian 
authorities when they intend to export GMOs or  establish gene technology activities abroad.  
Regulations relating to the trans port and import of GMOs came into force on 1 January 1999.   
53. Under EU directive 90/220, GMOs are subject to  an assessment of risk to human health and 
to the environment carried out in the first country within the EEA receiving the import and marketing application.  A GMO approved in the EU also requires approval in Norway.  Applications are 
evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Ministry of  the Environment, in accordance with the Gene 
Technology Act.  Products ma y be prohibited in Norway even if they are accepted into the EU, if they 
are found not to be in full compliance with the Gene Technology Act.  The authorities noted that the 
purpose of the Act is to ensure that the production and use of GMOs takes place in an ethically and 
socially justifiable way, in acco rdance with the principle of sustainable development and without 
detrimental effects on health and the environment.   The authorities indicated that under the Gene 
Technology Act, Norway has prohibited five EU-approved products on the basis of potential health consequences.  They also noted that the prohi bition against two genetically modified vaccines 
(vaccines for rabies and  pseudorabies) is based  on insufficient documentation from the notifier 
relating to possible severe non-target effects on hu man health and the environment.  The prohibition 
of three genetically modified plant products (m aize, chicory and oil-seed rape) is based on the 
authorities' assessment that they all possess antibiotic-resistance mark er genes, and that risk of 
detrimental effects on human and anim al health cannot be excluded.   
54. The Norwegian Food Law includes regulations on approval and labelling of genetically 
modified foods.  For example, feedstuffs cont aining more than 2% GMOs must be labelled 
accordingly.  The authorities have noted that the purpose of the labelling is to meet consumers 
requests for information on whether the product has been derived from GMOs, thus enabling them to 
make an informed choice.  An approval requireme nt for genetically modified foods and other novel 
foods entered into force in January 1999.  Prior to approval, a risk assessment must be conducted 
according to Norwegian guidelines, mainly based on  EU guidelines, for the health assessment of a 
novel food.  A Norwegian regulation is also be ing developed for the purpose of banning the 
production, importation and sale of genetically modifi ed goods containing genes coding for resistance 
to antibiotics. 
55. Restrictions on the importation, production, e xportation, or sale of toys or other products 
containing phthalates and marketed for children of less than 36 months of age are also in place, 
following a Regulation issued on 28 July 1999.  Comm on EU regulations in this area are not yet in 
place. 
56. Importation into Norway of birds on list II of the Washington Convention (Convention on 
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild  Fauna and Flora, CITES) requires an export 
permit from the exporting country and an import permit from the Ministry of Agriculture.  Imports of 
birds included on CITES list I require an additional licence, which must be obtained from the 
Directorate of Nature Protection.  Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
 Page 43 
 
 
(b) Import licensing 
57. Most import licences are automatic.  Some 13 tariff lines in HS chapters 02, 15, and 16 
(whale meat, oil and extracts) a nd 56 (knotted netting of twine, cordage or rope - see below) are 
subject to licensing for reasons other than surveillan ce.  Licensing for imports of certain agricultural 
products in connection with Norway's GSP scheme is not automatic. 
58. Import licences other than for surveillance pur poses are issued by the Norwegian National 
Grain Administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (fishing nets), and the Ministry of Fisheries (whale meat) under Act No. 32 rela ting to the regulation of imports  and exports, of 6 June 1997, 
which repealed Act No. 29  of 13 December 1946 relating to th e provisional ban on imports, and Act 
No. 30 of 13 December 1946 relating to the provisi onal ban on exports.  There is no predetermined 
standard validity period for import licences, although pe rmits are usually issued for three months, and 
rarely exceed six months.  Permits can also be is sued for a longer period of validity when special 
needs are proven.  
Import licensing system for agricultural products 
59. Norway uses two licensing syst ems for agricultural products:  a licence for certain products 
that might be used as feeding stuff in domestic animal production;  and licensing of agricultural 
products under the Norwegian GSP scheme in which domestic production is sensitive.  The 
Norwegian National Grain Administration, under the Ministry of Agriculture, is responsible for 
administering the import regime for agricultural products.
13  The licensing system for feedstuff is 
aimed at providing an overview of agricultural impor ts for which there exists domestic production or 
where the goods may be substitutes for Norwegian pr oduction, and at ensuring that products suitable 
for use as feeding stuff are not imported under cover of a nother end-use, and therefore withheld from 
the tariffs applicable for feeding stuff products.  Th is is because a dual tariff system is applied on 
certain products, under which higher tariffs are levied  on products meant for use in animal production, 
than for other uses.  According to the authorities, the licensing system is not linked to any quantitative 
regulation of imports.  Generally, all applicatio ns for licences are granted as long as a valid 
declaration of use has been submitted. 
60. In accordance with the above scheme, the No rwegian National Grain Administration grants 
tariff reductions or exemptions in some cases to impor ters who have handed in an end-use statement.  
The end-use statement must be submitted to the Norwegian National Grain Administration before the 
tariff reduction is granted;  the authorities indicated that applications are handled within a week.  At 
the time of importation, the original invoice must be presented along with a plant disease certificate 
and/or a veterinary certificate where required.  No levies or other fees are charged, and no deposit or advance payment is required for licensing.  Ta riff reductions have a time-limit, and are not 
transferable; importers are not penalized if a licence is only partly used.  In the case of feeding stuff 
for animals, import licences are required for all importers.
14 
61. The licensing system for certain products incl uded in Norway's GSP scheme covers imports 
of grains, meals and feeding stuff, and meat from least developed countries, and of sensitive 
                                                      
13 WTO document G/LIC/N/3/NOR/2, 3 December 1997. 
14 Pursuant to the Grain Supplying Act No. 27, of 22 June 1928.  The products covered include bones 
and horn-cores (HS 05.06);  animal products unfit for human consumption (05.11);  manioc, arrowroot, sweet potatoes and similar roots and tubers (07.14); grain sorghum (10.07);  malt (11.07);  starches (11.08);  wheat 
gluten (11.09);  soya beans (12.01);  rape or colza seeds (12.05);  molasses (17.03);  flours, meals and pellets 
unfit for human consumption (23.01);  residues of starch manufacture and similar residues (23.03);  oilcake and other solid residues (2304, 2305, 2306);  wine lees (2307);  and preparations used in animal feeding (23.09). WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
Page 44 
 
 
vegetables and fruit from the more developed countries.  Preferential treatment is subject to indicative 
tariff ceilings (section(2)(iii)(e)).  If the volumes of grain and feeding stuff reach the indicative ceilings, or if imports of the other products in cluded in the system th reaten to cause market 
disturbances, tariff preferences are reconsider ed according to the Norwegian GSP safeguard 
provision.  If necessary, special provisions may be in troduced.  The authorities indicated that ordinary 
GSP preferences were introduced for imports of beef meat from least developed countries if such imports exceed 2,700 tonnes in 2000. 
62. The Directorate of Customs and Excise admini sters the licensing system in the Norwegian 
GSP scheme, in accordance with Regulation No. 6 27 of 30 June 1995.  Licences granted to GSP 
beneficiaries are normally valid for six months after the licensing date;  they may require the importer, 
within a time-limit, usually one month, to document that the trade has taken place, by showing contracts or similar documentation.
15   
Import licensing system for industrial products 
63. Under Act No. 32 of 6 June 1997 relating to the regulation of imports and exports, the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs is authorized to lay down import licensing requirements and to issue 
licences for industrial products.  The decisions of th e Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning licensing 
requirements take the form of regulations.  Since the last Trade Policy Review of Norway in 1996, a 
number of licencing requirements have been eliminat ed.  In early 2000, licences from the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs were required only for imports of one textile product, under the Agreement on 
Textiles and Clothing (ATC);  there are no licensing requirements for clothing products.   
64. The only textiles product still affected by licensing is included in HS chapter 56 (fishing 
nets), the sole remaining item subject to restrain ts in accordance with the ATC;  quotas under the 
ATC have been eliminated ahead of time (Chapter  IV).  The remaining quotas are allotted by the 
authorities of the exporting countries.  The applica tion for an import licence must be accompanied by 
a pro forma invoice or similar documentation, a cer tificate of origin, and an export licence from the 
originating country.  Licensing applications are handled within two weeks;  licences are not transferable between importers without permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  There is no 
licensing fee or administrative charge, nor  deposit or advance payment requirement. 
(vi) Contingency measures 
(a) Anti-dumping and countervailing measures 
65. Norway has not carried out any anti-dumping or countervailing duty investigations since 
1996.  The last anti-dumping duty in place was revoked in 1985.  Since joining the EEA, Norway may 
no longer initiate anti-dumping or countervailing duty investigations against imports covered by the 
EEA Agreement, its main import source. 
66. No changes have been introduced in anti-dum ping or countervailing duty legislation since the 
last Trade Policy Review of Norway.  A few am endments were introduced to Section 3 of the 
Norwegian Customs Tariff to comply with No rway's obligations under the Agreement on 
Implementation of Article VI of the General Ag reement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 and the Agreement 
on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures.  These am endments involved the definition of dumping, 
the conditions under which anti-dumping investigati ons may be initiated, regulations regarding the 
maximum amount of anti-dumping duties and the maximum period during which they may remain in force, and procedural aspects.  
                                                     
 
15 A list of products subject to this licensing system is contained in WTO document G/LIC/N/3/NOR/2, 
3 December 1997. Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
 Page 45 
 
 
67. The Ministry of Finance is responsible for in vestigations of anti-dumping complaints, with 
the Anti-dumping Committee acting as a consultative bod y for the Ministry.  Once an investigation is 
completed, the Ministry of Finance will, if it consid ers action justified, prepare an official proposal;  
the formal decision to introduce anti-dumping (or countervailing) measures is taken by the 
Government (the King in Council) and reported to Parliament.  Decisions to impose an anti-dumping 
or countervailing duty or a safeguard measure may be challenged in court.  The Anti-dumping 
Committee has not met during the last 15 years, and the Ministry of Finance is considering dissolving 
it in the near future. 
(b) Safeguard measures 
68. Norway has not lodged any investigation with r espect to safeguards, nor taken or maintained 
any safeguard measure since its last Review in 1996. 
69. The general rules for the imposition of safeguard  measures are contained in Section 4 of the 
introductory provisions of the Norwegian Customs Ta riff (customs-related safeguard measures);  they 
constitute the legal basis for implementation of  Norway's obligations under the Agreement on 
Safeguards.16  Requests for the application of safeguard measures are examined by the Ministry of 
Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Decisions to impose measures are taken by the King in Council, having notified and consulte d with Parliament.  The Ministry of Agriculture implemented a 
regulation for the use of safeguard measures in 1999 according to Article 5 of the WTO Agreement on 
Agriculture. 
(vii) Standards and other technical requirements 
(a) Standards and technical regulations 
Standards and other voluntary schemes 
70. The Norwegian Standards Association (NSF) is  responsible for the overall management and 
coordination of standardization work in Norway .  The NSF adopts and publishes yearly some 
1,400 new (voluntary) Norwegian Standards (NS), and sells and markets standards from all over the 
world.  The NSF is Norway's re presentative in the European Co mmittee for Standardization (CEN) 
and in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).  
71. Norwegian standards are adopted by th e NSF based on recommendations from five 
independent Norwegian sectorial bodies, and on Euro pean and International standards.  These bodies 
are:  the Norwegian General Standardizing Bo dy (NAS);  the Norwegian Council for Building 
Standardization (NBR);  the Norwegian Electro technical Committee (NEK);  the Norwegian 
Technology Standards Institution (NTS);  and the Norwegian Post and Telecommunication Authority 
(PT).  Standards may also be developed by indivi duals.  The Government's policy on standards is to 
encourage institutions to take account of work ca rried out in organizations such as the WHO, Codex 
Alimentarius, ISO, ITU, and the IEC.  In early 2000, there were some 8,600 Norwegian standards in 
place.  Over 90% of these standards are common European Standards and are designated NS-EN.
17  
72. Norway participates in a voluntary eco-labe lling scheme administered by the Norwegian 
Foundation,  Ecolabelling Norway.  The foundation,  established in 1989,  is supported by the 
Government, but also partly financed by eco-labe lling fees.  The Nordic Ecolabel, the "Swan", is a 
voluntary scheme approved in 1989, open to produ cts from any country;  the Nordic Eco-labelling 
Board, a subsidiary body of the Nordic Council of Mi nisters, coordinates this scheme.  Applicants for 
                                                      
16 WTO document G/SG/N/1/NOR/3,  2 February 1996. 
17 Further information is available at: http://w ww.standard.no/index.asp [10 November 1999]. WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
Page 46 
 
 
a licence must pay an application fee and an annual fee equivalent to 0.4% of the turnover of the 
labelled product in the respective participating co untry.  The maximum annual fee in Norway is 
NKr 300,000. 
73. Through EEA/EFTA, Norway currently has a mutual recognition agreement with New 
Zealand.  An agreement with Australia has been fi nalized and will soon enter into force.  Negotiations 
with Canada are expected to be finalized soon.  Mutual recognition under these agreements applies 
only to harmonized standards.  Certification from testing houses in third countries that have been 
accredited EEA norms (procedures regarding testi ng and certification depe nd upon the product in 
question) is also recognized.  The general principle is  that the importer is responsible for the product 
and must be able to prove to the authorities its conformity with the relevant requirements. 
Technical regulations 
74. Through the EEA, Norway is integrated into the Community's single market and must apply 
internal legislation, including technical regula tions.  The authorities indicated that a total of 
100 technical regulations were in place in 1999 in  telecommunications;  208 were in place regarding 
foods, animal protection and plant production. 
75. In some areas, mainly in the fields of dange rous substances, Norwegian regulations may be 
more stringent than under EU legislation.  For exam ple, regulations are stricter in Norway regarding 
batteries (mercury and cadmium content), the use of asbestos and classification and labelling of dangerous substances, in particular with respect  to carcinogenicity. For health and environmental 
reasons, Norway maintains stricter regulations th an the EU with respect to cadmium content in 
pesticides and phosphorous fertilizer.  
76. Between 1995 and 1999, 42 notifi cations regarding technical regulations were made by 
Norway to the WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade.  Most of the regulations were issued 
by the Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Au thority, with respect to various kinds of 
telecommunications equipment.  A number of other notified regulations are linked to the protection of 
the environment, and some relate to guidelines or draft legislation on geneti cally modified organisms 
(Table III.9) 
77. A number of technical regulati ons applied for environmental reasons concern the use, 
manufacture, import and export of CFCs and halons , and carbon tetrachloride and methyl chloroform 
are regulated by the Ministry of the Environment.
18  Norway has no production of ozone-depleting 
substances.  Exports can only take place if pe rmitted by the Ministry and accepted by the 
environmental authority in the importing country.  Each consignment of used controlled substances 
must be accompanied by a transport document, and the Norwegian authorities carry out random 
checks to ensure compliance with rules on doc umentation and labelling.   A number of other 
environmental regulations are in place.  The Regul ations regarding Scrapped Electrical and Electronic 
Products of 16 March 1998 govern reception, collecti on, recycling and treatment of these products.  
Specific national regulations apply for some chemical  additives in textiles, and for toys containing 
phthalates.  The Regulations concerning certain Ch emical Additives in Textiles, of 8 April 1999, 
prohibit the use of certain azo dyes in textiles and limit formaldehyde content;  according to the 
Norwegian authorities, these regulations were implemented ahead of common EU regulations. 
 
                                                      
18 The main regulations in the area include:  the Re gulations concerning Manufacture, Import, Export 
and Use of CFCs and halons, of 21 January 1991;  Regulations on Carbon Tetrachloride and Methyl 
Chloroform, of 28 March 1995;  Regulations concerning HBFCs of 25 September 1996;  and Regulations concerning HCFCs and Methyl Bromide, of 14 July 1997. Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
 Page 47 
 
 
Table III.9 
Main Technical Regulations notified by Norway to th e WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade, 1995-99  
a. Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority  
 Regulations Relating to type approval of Nord ic Mobile Telephone Terminals, 18 September 1995 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Require ments for Radio Equipment for the 2,5 GHz ISM-Band Transmission of Data Based on 
Spread spectrum Modulation, 26 October 1995 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Requirements for Cordless Terminal Equipment, 26 October 1995 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Requirements for On-Site Radio Paging Systems, 26 October 1995 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Requirement s for Short Range Radi o Devices, 26 October 1995 
 Regulations Relating to Type Approval of Terminal Equipment, 7 November 1995 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Requirements for VSAT Sate llite Earth Stations Intended for Data communications, 17 April 
1996, 22 April 1996 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Requireme nts for Land Mobile Earth Stations Inte nded for Low Bit Rate Data Communications, 
17 April 1996; 22 April 1996 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Requirements for SN G Transportable Satellite Eart h , 17 April 1996; 22 April 1996 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Requirements fo r Maritime Mobile Satellite Stations, 23 April 1996 
 Regulations Relating to Technical  Requirements for High Capacity Radio Relay Equipment, 8 July 1996 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Re quirements for Digital Fixed Point-to- point Radio Link Equipment, 8 July 1996 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Require ments Radio Relay Equipment, 8 July 1996 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Requirements for VHF FM Equipment fo r Norwegian Aircraft, 26 August 1996 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Requirements for Ae romobile VHF Transmitters and Receivers, 2 September 1996 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Requirements for Airborne Weather a nd Ground Mapping Radars, 2 September 1996 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Requirements for Aeromobile Omega Receivers, 2 September 1996 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Requirements for Aero mobile Microwave Landing System Receivers, 2 September 1996 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Requirements for Aeromobile ILS Lo calizer Receivers, 2 September 1996 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Re quirements for Aeromobile ILS Radio Marker Receivers, 2 September 1996 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Requirements for Aeromobile ILS Glide Slope Receivers, 2 September 1996 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Requi rements for Aeromobile for Airborne Au tomatic Direction Finding, 2 September 1996 
 Regulations for Internal Telecomm unications Networ ks, 16 September 1996 
 Regulations Relating to Technical Requireme nts for Terminal Equipment for Connection to Public Mobitex Networks, 26 February 
1997 
 Regulations Relating to Supplem entary Technical Provisions for Terminal Equipm ent for Connection to Public Mobitex Networks, 
26 February 1997 
 Regulations on Changes in Regulations for Ty pe Approval of NTM Terminals, 16 May 1997 
 Regulations relating to technical require ments for terminal equipment for connecti on to public MOBITEX networks, 15 July 1998 
 Regulations relating to supplementary t echnical provisions for terminal equipment for connection to public 8 kbit/s MOBITEX 
network operated by Telenor Mobil, 15 July 1998. 
 Regulations on national approval of tel ecommunications equipment, 2 September 1998 
 Regulations relating to technical requirements for T-DAB broadcaster transmitters, 18 September 1998 
 Regulations relating to technical requirements for Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) telecomm unications equipment, 15 May 1999 
b. Norwegian Pollution  Control Authority  
 Regulations laying down the provisions for the produc tion, import, export and use of HBFCs, 1 April 1996 
 Draft Regulations Relating to Prohibition for the Manufacture,  Import, Export and Use of Methyl Bromide, 2 August 1996 
 Draft Regulations Relating to Prohibition for the Manuf acture, Import, Export and Use of HCFCs, 2 August 1996 
 Regulation Relating to the Decl aration and Labelling of Microbi ological Products, 9 June 1997 
 Draft Regulations Relating to the Transport and Impor t of Genetically Modified  Organisms, 28 October 1997 
c. The Norwegian Ministry of Environment  
 Regulations Concerning limits on the Content of Heavy Metals in Packaging, 3 April 1997 
 Regulations Amending Regulations on Environmentall y Harmful Batteries of 17 July 1990, 18 August 1998 
d. Ministry of Health and Social A ffairs/Norwegian Food Control Authority  
 Temporary Guidelines dated 4 July 1997 Concerning Labelling of Genetically Modified Foodstuffs  and Foodstuff Ingredients, 
6 August 1997 
 Draft Regulation Banning the Production, Impor t or Sale of Genetically Modified Food stuffs and Food Ingred ient containing Gene s 
coding for Resistance to Antibiotics, 22 July 1999 
e. Norwegian Maritime Directorate  
 Draft Regulations Concerning Amendments to Regulations of 22 J une 1999 No. 536 Concerning Fire Safety Measures in Ships to 
which the Convention for the Safety of Life  at Sea does not apply and Draft Regulations  Concerning Amendments to Regulations of  
17 June 1987 No. 1296 
Source: Notifications made by Norway to the WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade. WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
Page 48 
 
 
(b) Sanitary and phytosanitary regulations 
78. Due to the non-existence of cer tain diseases in its territory, Norway has traditionally applied 
very strict border controls to protect plant hea lth.  The Norwegian Agricultu ral Inspection Service and 
Customs are in general responsible for ensuring co mpliance relating to enforcement of plant health 
standards.  Norway's national enquiry point on SPS issues is the Ministry of Agriculture. 
79. Food safety legislation is prepared by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, the Ministry 
of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Fisheries, which administer the Food Control Act, the Meat 
Production Act, and the Quality Control Act on Fish and Fishery Products, respectively.  The Ministry 
of Agriculture prepares legislation concerning feed ingstuffs and animal health, and administers the 
Animal Diseases Act, the Fish Diseases Act, and the Feedingstuffs Control Act, which is not, 
however, regarded as food safety legislation.  The Norwegian Animal Health Authority enforces and 
monitors compliance with animal health legisla tion.  The Norwegian Food Control Authority (SNT) 
enforces food safety and quality legislation.  Food controls, including import and export controls, are 
carried out locally by the municipal food control authorities. 
80. As with standards , animal health and food safety legisla tion is, through the EEA Agreement, 
largely harmonized with that of the European Unio n, while phytosanitary legislation is only partly 
harmonized.  A revised Annex 1, Chapter 1 of th e EEA Agreement, establishing common procedures 
for the importation of live animals and animal produc ts from outside the EEA to Norway, entered into 
force on 1 January 1999.  The EEA Agreement allows  members to take unilateral safeguard measures 
if serious economic, societal or environmental di fficulties arise.  Norway has done this on two 
occasions since 1995.  Norway has also banned the import of genetically modified products on five 
occasions since 1992 (see below). 
81. In accordance with the EEA Ag reement, Norway enforces national requirements regarding 
antibiotics, cocsidiostatica and growth-promoting subs tances in feeding stuffs, to imports from all 
countries.  Imported feeding stuffs from all countri es, including members of the EEA, are subject to 
salmonella control;  imports from  non-EEA count ries undergo additional checks regarding pesticide 
residues, hygiene quality, mycotoxins, and botanical purity. 
82. New regulations relating to the import of plants an d parts of plants, etc, were laid down by the 
Ministry of Agriculture on 10 September 1998, pursuan t to the Plants Diseases Act of 14 March 1964.  
The new regulations ban imports of  certain plants and plant produc ts.  Consignments of plants, 
including fruit and vegetables, are required to be ac companied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by 
the plant inspection authorities of the exporting co untry, in accordance with FAO standards, which 
must specify if disinfection of any kind has taken place in the exporting county.  Certificates are not 
required for certain fruit and vegetables from 1 Oct ober to 15 April.  Re-export sanitary certificates 
are required when the exporting country differs from the place of cultivation.  Plant inspection is 
subject to a fee corresponding to 0.8% of the value of those inspected imports to which the 
1998 Regulations apply. 
83. In 1996, Norway made three notifications of emergency measures to the WTO Committee on 
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.19  They were all related to the importation of potatoes:  
restrictions were placed on the importation of po tatoes from the Netherlands in May 1996 due to the 
presence of Pseudonionas Solanacearum, a disease that does not exist in Norway.  In July 1996, the 
ban was extended to imports from Egypt.  The authorities have noted that the Norwegian Crop 
Research Institute has carried out  a pest risk assessment for Norway  on Pseudonionas Solanacearum;  
based on the conclusion of this assessment, the te mporary import prohibition has been maintained. 
                                                      
19 WTO documents G/SPS/N/NOR/1, 31 January 1996,  G/SPS/N/NOR/2, 8 July 1996, and 
G/SPS/N/NOR/3, 18 July 1996. Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
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(viii) Government procurement 
84. Norway participates in the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA).  
Government procurement in Norway is regulat ed by Public Procurement Act No. 116 of 
27 November 1992, the Public Supplies Regulation (SPR)  of 4 December 1992, the Public Services 
Regulation (SR) of 1 July 1994, the Public Wo rks Regulation (WR) of 4 December 1994, and the 
Regulation of Procurement Procedures of Entities Operating in the Water, Energy, Transport and 
Telecommunications Sectors (UR) of 16 December  1994.  The Act and regulations transposed EEA 
directives and the GPA into Norwegian national legi slation;  they were notified to the WTO in 
early 1997.20  Procurement is also governed by the EEA Act of 27 November 1992. 
85. The authorities noted that only minor amendments  to the Public Procurement Act and related 
regulations were required to bring Norwegian legislation into accord with the GPA;  these were made 
in 1996.  The GPA contact point is the Ministry of  Industry and Trade, which is the body responsible 
for the implementation of the GPA.  Entities below th e federal or central state level that are covered 
by the GPA are not autonomous from the central  government in the implementation of the 
Agreement.  GPA threshold values fo r 1998/1999 are shown in Table III.10.21 
Table III.10 
Threshold values in the GPA, 1998-99 
  Supplies and services  Works 
 Annex 1 entities Annex 2 entities Annex 3 entities All entities 
Threshold in GPA (in SDR) 130,000  200,000  400,000  5,000,000  
Threshold in GPA (in NKr) 1,091,118  1,678,643  3,357,286  41,966,072  
Threshold in EEA (in ECU) 200,000 200,000 400,000 5,000,000 
Threshold in EEA (in NKr) 1,629,580 1,629,580 3,259,160 40,739,500 
Threshold in Norway (in NKr) 1,000,000 1,600,000 3,200,000 40,000,000 
Source:  Information provided by the Norwegian authorities. 
86. Norway's government procurement regulations  contain non-discrimination and national 
treatment provisions to govern the procuremen t of goods, services, and building and construction 
project contracts for EEA members and parties to th e GPA.  The Public Procurement Act and related 
regulations apply to procurement by the Cent ral Government, counties, municipalities and bodies 
governed by public law, and cover procurement by public supply enterprises and private enterprises 
that have been given special rights (concessions) by  the authorities in the utilities sectors covered.  
Exemptions from the scope of the Act include many research and development service contracts, and contracts awarded by international organizations or  in connection with common bilateral projects.  
Since the liberalization of the telecommunications  sector on 1 January 1998, a special extension 
provision from the government procurement regulations  is not relevant to the telecommunications 
company Telenor.  The national oil company, Stato il, is covered by the rules for the utilities sector, 
although it is allowed to use special procurement rules in accordance with the EU Utilities Directive 
(93/38/EEC).  
87. Regardless of the procurement procedure, purch asers must award contracts solely on the basis 
of the lowest price, or on an overall assessment of  the financially most favourable bid, which may 
include such considerations as delivery time, quality and technical support.  Any criteria to be applied 
in the assessment must be specifi ed in the notice to tender.  
                                                     
 
20 WTO document GPA/10, 10 January 1997. 
21 Detailed rules to calculate contract values may be found in WTO document GPA/W/12/Add.6,  
26 September 1996. WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
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88. Technical standards applied in the procur ement process must be national standards 
harmonized with European standards (see below).  Discriminatory technical specifications may not be used to tailor contracts for any supplier.  Contr acting authorities in the utilities sector are not obliged 
to state the contract value in post-contract award notices;  authorities in the rest of the public sector 
may postpone publishing the contract value only to guard commercial interests. 
89. Procurement falling under the GPA or EEA Agreem ent must be advertised internationally.  
Tenders are advertised in the Official Journal of the EC  (OJEC) and in the database Tenders 
Electronic Daily  (TED).  Public agencies must also publish general annual plans for purchases 
of goods and services, as well as general in formation on any major building and construction 
projects to be undertaken.  Awards must be adverti sed no later than two months after taking place, 
through a published notice in an EU language.  Inform ation on advertised contracts is available in the 
Norsk lysingsblad .  
90. Tendering procedures in the public sector require  the use of a prior tender notice;  the 
contracting authority can choose between open and selective tender procedures.  In selective tender 
procedures, tenderers are selected by the contracting au thority;  any firm can request to be invited to 
tender, but only the candidates selected are sent th e tender documents and asked to bid.  Permanent 
lists of suppliers are not allowed;  suppliers must be selected on a contract-by-contract basis.  If the 
tender is open, any undertaking established in a country party to the EEA Agreement,  EFTA's 
free-trade agreements with third countries or the GPA can participate.  Although firms from other 
countries may also participate, they have no challenge rights under Norwegian government 
procurement regulations. 
91. Negotiated tender procedures may be used in the case of irregular tenders in response to an 
open or restricted tender procedure;  when the nature of the works/services does not permit overall 
pricing;  when the type of service makes specifi cations for tendering difficult;  or for research and 
development.  When this procedure is used, the c ontracting authority negotiates freely with previously 
selected suppliers on the basis of their offers.  In  the case of services, procuring entities may organize 
design contests, with prior notice, and may enga ge in negotiated procedures with the winner.  
92. Negotiated procedures are more commonly used in the utilities sector, wh ere there is a long 
positive list of exceptional situations that allow the use of the negotiated procedure without prior call 
for competition.  Procuring entities may advertise their qualification requirements for all tenders 
through a single annual notice;  procurement fa lling within these qualification requirements is not 
announced individually, and either selective tender or negotiated procedures may be used.  While 
public sector suppliers must be selected on a contr act-to-contract basis, procuring agencies in the 
utilities sector may use a permanent list of suppliers. 
93. Challenge procedures may be triggered by an a lleged breach of procurement rules;  they are 
open to suppliers established in an EEA/GPA country. At the national level, the supplier is generally 
expected to take up the matter directly with the entity concerned, failing which action may be brought 
against a contracting entity before a district court of justice.  At the EFTA/EEA level, reviews of 
procedures may be requested under the EFTA Surve illance Authority or the European Commission, 
depending on whether the purchaser is in an EFTA c ountry or an EU country, which may request that 
the case be dealt with by the EFTA Court or th e European Court of Justice, respectively. 
94. Norway has notified the WTO that government procurement under the GPA covered 
629 contract awards with a total value of NKr  11.9 billion (US$1.5 billion) in 1997.  Total 
government purchases of goods and services for 1 997 were NKr 94.9 billion (NKr 102.3 billion 
in 1998) for the non-petroleum sector, and some NK r 7 billion for the petroleum sector.  Both the Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
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number and the value of contracts under the GPA were  lower than in 1996, mainly due to a reduction 
in the number and value of utilities contracts (Table  III.11).  Most contracts have been awarded to 
Norwegian suppliers;  however, the authorities consid er the apparently high number of such suppliers 
misleading as it does not account for the large number of  Norwegian suppliers that are subsidiaries of 
foreign companies or agents for foreign suppliers.22  The main foreign suppliers were located in 
Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.  Supply contracts accounting for over 50% of the procurement value in 1997 were awarded by open procedure;  some 40% were awarded 
using the negotiated procedure.  In the procur ement of services, open procedures were used in 
contracts accounting for 75% of the value.   
Table III.11 
Government procurement statistics, 1996-97  
 1996 1997 
 
Number of 
contracts % Value of 
contracts % Number of 
contracts % Value of 
contracts % 
Supply contracts , of which: 323 100 3,052   260 100 5,460 100 
  Open procedures 251 78 2,289 75  176 68 2,894 53 
  Selective procedures 53 16 549 18  23 9 382 7 
  Negotiated procedures 19 6 244 8  61 23 2,184 40 
  Awarded to domestic supplier 304 94 .. ..  247 95 .. .. 
  Awarded to foreign supplier 19 6 .. ..  13 5 .. .. 
Service contracts 138 100 1,388 100  139 100 2,040 100 
  Open procedures 92 67 1,138 82  92 66 1,530 75 
  Selective procedures 30 22 167 12  33 24 449 22 
  Negotiated procedures 13 11 83 6  14 10 69 3 
  Awarded to domestic supplier 137 99 .. ..  138 99 .. .. 
  Awarded to foreign supplier 1 1 .. ..  1 1 .. .. 
Works contracts 243 100 1,960 100  143 100 1,803 100 
  Open procedures 213 88 1,548 79  131 92 1,569 87 
  Selective procedures 27 11 373 19  2 0 90 5 
  Negotiated procedures 3 1 39 2  12 8 144 8 
  Awarded to domestic supplier 242 99 .. ..  142 99 .. .. 
  Awarded to foreign supplier 1 1 .. ..  1 1 .. .. 
Utilities contracts 284  17,741   87  2,602  
  Open procedures .. .. .. ..  .. .. .. .. 
  Selective procedures .. .. .. ..  .. .. .. .. 
  Negotiated procedures .. .. .. ..  .. .. .. .. 
  Awarded to domestic supplier .. .. .. ..  .. .. .. .. 
  Awarded to foreign supplier .. .. .. ..  .. .. .. .. 
Total contracts 988 100 35,117 100  629 100 11,904 100 
.. Not available. 
Source:  WTO documents GPA/21, 29 May 1998 and GPA/22/Add.1, 23 April 1999. 
(3) MEASURES DIRECTLY AFFECTING EXPORTS  
(i) Export taxes, charges and levies 
95. Exports of fish and fish products are subject to a levy, which varies according to the species 
and stage of processing of the product.  This levy  is used partly to finance the activities of the 
                                                      
22 WTO document GPA/22/Add.1, 23 April 1999. WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
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Norwegian Seafood Export Council (NSEC), which assists in the marketing of fish and fish products, 
both in Norway and abroad (section (iv) below). 
(ii) Export prohibitions, restrictions, and licensing  
96. Norway does not apply any export restrictions fo r economic reasons.  Norway bans exports of 
goods to certain destinations, in accordance with Act No. 4 of 7 June 1968 concerning the 
implementation of mandatory decisions by the Un ited Nations' Security Council.  Arms embargoes 
agreed by the European Union are also followed. 
97. Exports of strategic goods are regulated by Act No. 93 of 18 December 1987 and Regulations 
of 10 January 1989 relating to the implementations of control of th e export of strategic goods, etc., 
and controlled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.   Export licences are required for products classified 
as weapons, ammunition and other military equipment (List I) and "dual use" products, that is, goods 
and technology that may have military as well as n on-military applications (List II).  Products not 
included in Lists I and II, which are used in th e development, handling, maintenance, storage, 
detection, identification or destruction of nuc lear, chemical or biological weapons, or the 
development, production, maintenance or storage of missiles carrying such weapons, may also be 
subject to an export licensing requirement, as well as services related to military products.  Trade in 
heavy water is subject to Regulation of 10  March 1989, as amended on 28 February 1992. 
98. Individual licences for products included in List I are required for exports to all countries.  
Licences for goods included in List II may be i ndividual or general;  general licences are granted 
when there is a continuous export flow, and appl y only to exports to EU countries, Argentina, 
Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Icel and, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Switzerland, 
and the United States.  The issue of a licence for a product included in List II requires the submission 
of an end-user statement, which must specify th e address where the equipment will be used, and the 
type of application for which the equipment will be  used;  the importer must agree not to relocate or 
re-export the equipment without the consent of th e Norwegian authorities. Since 1 January 1996, 
Norwegian exporters must report exports of defence ma terial contained in List I, and related services. 
99. Norway participates in five multilateral export control arrangements:  the Australia Group (to 
prevent the spread of chemical and biological we apons);  the Missile Technology Control Regime;  
the Nuclear Suppliers Group;  the Zangger Committee (control of nuclear materials and related high 
technology);  and the Wassenaar Arrangement (cont rol of exports of conve ntional weapons and dual-
use products). 
100. Environmental controls on transboundary move ments of hazardous waste follow broadly EC 
Council Regulation No. 259/93, and subsequent EU regulations.  No rway prohibits all exports of 
hazardous waste (included in the EU's red and amber lists) to non-OECD countries.   
(iii) Export finance, insurance, and guarantees 
(a) Export finance 
101. Government support, other than export credit insu rance, is not available for short-term export 
credits.  The Government supports medium and l ong-term credits following the OECD Arrangement 
on Guidelines for Officially Supported Export Cr edit and the Understanding on Export Credits for 
Ships.  The Export Credit Financing Scheme, created in 1978 under the Ministry of Finance, and now under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, provid es credit financing on CIRR (Commercial Interest 
Reference Rate) to foreign purchasers of Norweg ian capital goods.  Subsidies granted through the Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
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scheme amounted to NKr 168 million in 1998;  b udgeted subsidies for 2000 were NKr 44 million.23  
According to the Norwegian authorities, the objectiv e of the scheme is to match officially supported 
export credits offered by other exporting nations, to  enable Norwegian exporters to compete on equal 
grounds on price, quality, and technical solutions.  Loans may be extended for up to 85% of the value 
of the contract;  foreign components must not exceed 30% of the value of the contract. 
102. Subsidies under the interest rate and currenc y support scheme for export credits for ships 
were NKr 44 million in 1998.  Fina ncing for exports of capital goods (e xcluded ships) is obtained to a 
large extent from Eksportfinans ASA, a privat e company owned by Norwegian banks, which, 
according to the authorities, lends on a non-concessiona l, no-profit-no-loss basis, but often backed by 
Government guarantees.  
103. Mixed credits are available, under a scheme for projects with high priority in 
developing countries, administered by the Ministry  of Foreign Affairs, and where Eksportfinans ASA 
generally  acts as lender.  The grant element for eligible recipients (generally low income and lower 
middle-income developing countries) takes the form of  either an interest subsidy or a cash grant.  
Funds are normally tied to purchases from Norway, but  foreign content of up to 30% is accepted.  
International competitive bidding is used as far as possi ble.  The authorities noted that the provision of 
mixed credits complies with the OECD Arrangement  on Guidelines for Officially Supported Export 
Credits. 
(b) Export insurance, guarantees, and assistance 
104. Export credit guarantees are under the responsibility of the Ministry of Trade and Industry 
through the Guarantee Institute for Export Credits (GIEK).  Their scope is to promote Norwegian 
exports of goods and services, primarily by cove ring the exporters' commercial and political credit 
risk.  Guarantees are available mainly to smal l and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and are 
provided in accordance with the rules of the OECD Arrangement on Guidelines for Officially Supported Export Credits, and the Bern Union Understanding. 
105. GIEK guarantees may cover up to 90% for commercial risk and 100% for political risk.  The 
guarantee limit for the general scheme is NKr 30 b illion.  The guarantee schemes are operated under a 
no-gain no-loss approach.  Although GIEK targets SM Es that are not offered credit insurance in the 
private market, recoveries and fees received by GIEK largely exceeded the costs of guarantees in 1998, by some NKr 413 million.  GIEK ass ists the Norwegian Agency for Development 
Cooperation in operating a special sch eme for exports to and investment  in developing countries.  
Export credits are offered at interest rates set acco rding to the OECD-Arrangement.  According to the 
Norwegian authorities, the trade e ffects of the scheme enable Norw egian exporters to compete on 
price, quality, and technical solutions by count erbalancing similar schemes provided to foreign 
competitors. 
106. The Government grants assistance for export promotion through the Programme for Export 
Development in SMEs, under the responsibility of the Ministry of Trade and Industry through the 
Norwegian Trade Council (see below).  A simila r support programme, the Strategy Programme, was 
phased out in 1998.  All SMEs that fulfil the EU/E EA-criteria for small and medium-sized enterprises 
may (or could) benefit from the schemes, which pa rtly cover costs incurred by the companies for 
services obtained from the Norwegian Trade Council, su ch as assistance in market research, strategic 
planning, seminars, and technology transfer. 
                                                     
 
23 WTO document G/SCM/N/38/NOR, 25 August 1998;  and Parliamentary Bill No. 1 (1999-2000) from 
the Ministry of Trade and Industry. WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
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(iv) Export promotion and marketing assistance 
107. The Norwegian Trade Council is in charge of export promotion and marketing assistance, 
internationalization, and transfer of technology.   An independent foundation since 1996, the Council 
works to enhance the competitiveness of Norwegian enterprises in international markets;  it acts as 
advisor to commercial enterprises, provides servic es to individual companies and organizes joint 
promotional programmes.  Its total budget is some NKr 300 million, of which the Government 
contributes some 60%.  The Trade Council also receiv es Government contributions to administer the 
Programme for Export Development in SMEs and,  until its termination in 1998, the Strategy 
Programme.  The SME programme has the goal of developing business and pr omoting exports.  The 
programme is available to all SMEs that fulfil the EU/EEA-criteria for small and medium-sized 
enterprises and partly cover costs incurred by companies for Council services.  As of 1999, the 
Council also receives Government contributions in connection with international cooperation in the 
field of technology;  for 2000 outlays budgeted for this contribution amount to NKr 18 million.  
108. The Norwegian Tourist Board is a commercia l foundation established by the Norwegian 
Government and the Norwegian travel industry in 1984.  The Board operates as a professional 
marketing agency for the Norwegian travel industry through information, presentation, and marketing 
of Norwegian travel products in prioritized markets.  Its main task is to achieve coordination between 
tourism companies and public bodies to join intern ational marketing efforts for the development and 
promotion of Norwegian tourist destinations.  The Board's annual budget is NKr 170 million, of 
which the Government contributes some 50%, and the tourism industry contributes the rest.  
109. The Norwegian Seafood Export Council (NSEC) is a privately funded advisory organ for the 
Ministry of Fisheries in all questions related to  seafood exports.  The Council was created in 1991 and 
represents the whole seafood industr y, which funds it through the payment of an export fee.  
Since 1994, the NSEC has also been in charge of the domestic marketing of fish and seafood 
products. 
(v) Export subsidies 
110. In accordance with the WTO Agreement on Agri culture, export subsidies are granted to a 
number of agricultural products including bovine, swine, lamb, and poultry meat;  eggs and egg 
products;  butter;  cheese;  whey powder;  fru it and vegetables;  honey;  and some processed 
agricultural products.  Outlays in calendar year 1998 totalled NKr 582.8 million (Chapter IV(2)(iv)). 
(4) OTHER MEASURES AFFECTING TRADE  
(i) Competition policy and regulatory issues  
111. Norway's legislation on competition in commerc ial activities is embodied in Act No. 65 of 
11 June 1993 (the Competition Act).  This Act, t ogether with the Price Policy Act No. 66 of 11 June 
1993, and other regulations to im plement EEA competition rules in Norway, entered into force on 
1 January 1994, coinciding with the entry in force of the EEA Agreement.24  No major changes in 
legislation have taken place since Norway's last Re view in 1996 other than a technical revision of the 
Act in 2000 (see below).  In the bill to Parliament leading to the technical revision of the Act, the 
                                                      
24 These other regulations are:  Act No.  109 of 27 November 1992 relating to Implementation 
in Norwegian Law of the Main Agreement on the EE A, also known as the EEA Act;  Act No. 110 of 
27 November 1992 relating to Competition Rules in the EEA Agreement, also known as the EEA Competition 
Act;  Regulation No. 964 of 4 Decembe r 1992 on Substantive EEA Competition Rules;  and Regulation No. 966 
of 4 December 1992 on Proced ural EEA Competition Rules. Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
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Ministry of Government and Administration fu rther signalled that a thorough review of the 
Competition Act and competition policy in Norway is upcoming. 
112. The Competition Act applies to any kind of co mmercial activity regardless of the type of 
goods or services concerned or whether it is private or carried out by central or local government 
authorities.  The Act applies solely to terms of busine ss, agreements, and actions that have an effect in 
Norway.25  The Act is based on the combination of proh ibitions and means of in tervention.  Technical 
changes were introduced to the Competition Ac t on 12 April 2000, one of them allowing the 
Competition Authority permission (under certain conditions) to share information with the 
competition authorities of other countries. 
113. The Competition Act prohibits any agreement or concerted practice involving horizontal or 
vertical price fixing as well as the collaboration a nd influence of markups, discounts and bid-rigging 
in tenders.  Nevertheless, an individual supplier may stipulate recommended prices for the recipient's 
sale of goods or services on the condition that the prices are explicitly defined as recommended.  The Act introduced for the first time in Norwegian legi slation the prohibition of market sharing;  this 
prohibition extends to market sharing in the form of area division, customer and quota distribution, 
specialization and quantity limitation.  However, exclusive agreements and selective distribution 
systems, as well as other market sharing agreements between an individual supplier and his recipients, 
are allowed.  Agreement clauses that violate  th e provisions of the Competition Act are considered 
invalid;  in some cases, a whole agreement may be considered invalid. 
114. Sections 3-5 to 3-8 of the Competition Act grant general exceptions from the prohibitions of the 
Act for certain sectors of commercial activities:  coll aboration for joint-tender projects when the offer 
details the collaboration involved;  collaboration between owner and company, and companies with 
common owners;  patent and lic ence agreements;  and collabora tion by producers or producers' 
organizations of their respective products.  The Comp etition authorities may, according to Section 3-9 of 
the Act, grant individual exemptions from the proh ibitions of the Act provided that restraints on 
competition result in an increase in competition in the market concerned;  increased efficiency is 
expected to more than compensate for the loss due to  the restriction of competition;  restraints on 
competition have little signif icance for competition;  or there ar e other special grounds for doing so.  
Conditions may be imposed for the granting of exemptions. 
115. The Ministry of Government Administration and the Norwegian Competition Authority, are 
responsible for supervising competition in the various markets and enforcing the prohibitions 
and requirements of the Competition Act.  The Act also requires the Competition Authority to 
call attention to the restraining effects on comp etition due to public-sector measures.  The Act 
enables the Competition Authority to intervene agai nst anti-competitive behaviour, such as terms of 
business, agreements, or actions to maintain or stre ngthen a dominant position in a market with the 
aid of anti-competitive methods;  restricting client's choices, price discrimination in sales, production 
or distribution, or refusal to deal.  Decisions of the Competition Authority may include regulation of 
prices, imposing prohibitions and orders, or gran ting conditional permission.  The Ministry of 
Government Administration is the appellate body fo r decisions made by the Competition Authority.  
The Ministry has formal powers to instruct the Competition Authority but these powers are not used 
in individual cases. 
116. The Competition Authority may also intervene against the acquisition or merger of 
enterprises  where the Authority finds that the acquisition in question will create or strengthen a 
significant restriction of competition.  However, th e notification of mergers and acquisitions to the 
                                                     
 
25 Act No. 65, 11 June 1993, section 1-5. WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
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Competition Authority is not mandatory;  it ta kes place on a voluntary basis in order to seek 
clarification whether the Authority will wish to inte rvene.  When an intended merger or acquisition is 
reported to the Competition Authority, the Authority must decide within three months whether an intervention is called for.  A decision by the Compe tition Authority to intervene against an acquisition 
or merger must be decided within six months after the parties have reached a final agreement.  Under 
special conditions this time-limit is extended to 12  months.  Unless the post-merger market share of 
the merging parties exceeds 40% (or the top thr ee companies in the market including the merging 
parties have a market share of over 60%), the Co mpetition Authority will not normally investigate a 
merger or acquisition further.  A post-merger mark et share exceeding 40% is considered an indication 
that an investigation is necessary. The bill adopted by Parliament on 11 April 2000 strengthened the 
Competition Authority's enforcement power by giving it the authority to prohibit mergers and acquisitions from taking place while the e ffects on competition are being analysed. 
117. In the course of its supervision activiti es in 1998 and 1999, the Competition Authority 
uncovered a number of  cases of infringement to the Competition Act, mainly dealing with 
collaboration on prices, and other issues related to pr ices.  The Authority has also dealt with a number 
of cases of transgressions of or exemptions from th e prohibitions of the Competition Act, mergers and 
acquisitions, and restraint of competition (Table III.12).  No civil action has been taken with respect to 
a competition case so far. 
Table III.12 
Cases handled by the Norwegian Competition Authority, 1996-99 
 1996 1997 1998 1999 
Transgressions of the prohibitions 189 120 214 14 
Exemptions from the prohibitions 150 129 131 85 
Interventions against restraints of competition 61 79 52 69 
Mergers and acquisitions 46 41 46 31 
Controls of price labelling 2,804 2,970 2,586 976 
Source: Information provided by the Norwegian authorities. 
118. Under the Competition Act, the Competition Authority is authorized to fix prices or set 
maximum prices in any market provided that the cond itions in the Act are fulfilled.  Since Norway's 
last Review in 1996, retail prices for milk, wholesal e prices for meat, and the price of cement have 
been deregulated.  Only taxi fares are at present s ubject to regulation but, following a proposal by the 
Competition Authority, these too are being deregulat ed by setting maximum prices in remote areas 
and leaving prices in cities to be market determin ed.  Intermediary and retail prices of prescription 
drugs are regulated by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs;  electricity transport fares are 
regulated by the Norwegian Water Resources and Power Board;  fares for domestic regional air 
transport, certain domestic passenger transport by sea, domestic rail transport, as well as "A-mail" postal charges, and metering units are regulated by the Ministry of Transport and Communications;  
fares for local scheduled passenger transport by road and sea are regulated by municipalities and 
county administrations.  In late 1999, Norway subm itted a proposal in the WTO to include in future 
negotiations the development of a multilateral horiz ontal framework on competition, covering private 
and public conduct, as well as an examination of  the need to develop rules on anti-competitive 
conduct, including hard-core cartels.
26 
                                                      
26 WTO document WT/GC/W/310, 7 September 1999. Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
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(ii) State trading enterprises, state-owned enterprises, privatization 
119. Under the WTO state trading notification require ments, Norway has notified the State Wine 
and Spirits Monopoly (A/S Vinmonopolet) as its only state trading enterprise;  pointing out that this is a retail monopoly expressly forbidden from engaging in imports, exports or wholesale activities, the 
notification stated Norway's intention not to  further notify it unless Members so requested.
27  T h e  
State Wine and Spirits Monopoly has exclusive ri ghts for the retailing of spirits, liquor and other 
spirituous beverages (HS 22.08), of wine and fru itwine (HS 22.04, 22.05 and 22.06), and of beer 
containing more than 4.75% alcohol by volume (HS 22.03).  The stated purpose of the monopoly is to implement Norway's alcohol policy based on strict regulation of alcohol availability to reduce the negative consequences of alcohol consumption. 
120. The State Wine and Spirits Monopoly is an administrative body under the Ministry of Health 
and Social Affairs.  Until 1 January 1996, the Stat e Wine and Spirits Monopoly also held exclusive 
rights to the production, importa tion, and wholesale distribution of spirits and wine, and to the 
exportation of spirits.  These rights have been el iminated since 1996, with the exception of the 
exclusive right to production of spirituous beverag es, which has been given to Arcus Produkter AS, a 
wholly owned subsidiary of the state-owned company Arcus AS.  
121. At the end of 1997, the State Wine and Spirits  Monopoly had 114 outlets throughout Norway.  
It purchases alcoholic beverages from wholesalers a nd producers, who require a license to operate.  
Some 86% of the 9.5 million litres of spirits a nd 90% of the 37.9 million litres of wine sales in 
Norway in 1997, took place through the outlets of th e State Wine and Spirits Monopoly;  the rest was 
sold in licensed restaurants and bars.  In the case of  beer, since the state monopoly is enforced only on 
beer with more than 4.75% alcohol by volume, the market share of the State Wine and Spirits 
Monopoly was just around 1% of the total;  the rest was sold through restaurants, bars, or grocery 
shops licensed to sell beer. 
122. The participation of the Norwegian State in the economy remains wide.  It is estimated 
that the public sector's stake in Norwegian companies is around 50%, and that the state 
has participation in around 200 enterprises, of which some 35 are totally state-owned.
28  The largest 
state-owned companies are Statoil (oil industry) an d Telenor (telecommunications).  It is estimated 
that the state controlled some 17% of the Oslo St ock Exchange capitalization in late 1999.  The state 
owns also eight banks and financ ial institutions, and participates in the ownership of a number of 
manufacturing companies and service providers.  
123. In the energy sector, aside from St atoil, the state, through the Ministry of Trade and Industry, 
controls 44% of Norsk Hydro, and participates through the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in the 
State's Direct Financial Interest (SDFI), financed  through the budget and competes for oil exploration 
contracts (Chapter IV).  Norsk Hydro's interests go beyond the oil sector, encompassing also petrochemicals, light metals (aluminium, magnesi um), agriculture and agribusiness, seafood, and 
automotive structures).  State ownership of Nors k Hydro was 51% until early 1999, when it took over 
the private company Saga Petroleum, the third Norw egian oil company, and the government's stake in 
Norsk Hydro was reduced to 44%.  The state also pa rticipates in the commercialization of natural gas 
through the Gas Negotiation Committee (GFU), through Statoil and Norsk Hydro. 
124. The Government privatization policy is contained in a White Paper issued by the Ministry of 
Trade and Industry in the spring of 1998.  The main policy approach is to privatize when there is no 
valid reason to maintain an enterprise in the public sector.  However, no imminent privatization, with 
the exception of the telecommunications comp any Telenor and of Statkorn, is foreseen. 
                                                     
 
27 WTO document G/STR/N/4/NOR, 13 January 1999. 
28 OECD (1999). WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
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(iii) Marketing arrangements 
125. Changes were introduced in the marketing system of grain as of 1 July 1995.  In this respect, 
Norway notified the WTO that it had terminated the monopoly trade and procurement authority of the Norwegian National Grain Administration, and separ ated the Administration's functions into two 
organizations:  the Norwegian National Grain Admi nistration (Statens Kornforretning), and Statkorn 
Holding Ltd.
29  The Norwegian National Grain Administration continues to administer the import 
regime for grains, as well as buying domestically produced grain, maintaining emergency stocks, and 
administering domestic support schemes for grain, including price supports and assistance for the construction of grain-drying pl ants, and management of export subsidy schemes for the food 
processing industry. 
126. The Norwegian National Grain Administration, which reports to the Ministry of Agriculture, 
purchases grain first-hand from producers at the instituti onal farm gate price, for immediate resale.  
Statkorn Holding Ltd and its subsidiaries carry  out the business and commercial activities of 
Norwegian National Grain Administration, includin g importation and trade in grain and other raw 
materials for the production of feeding stuffs, trans portation and storage, and exportation of grain.  
The authorities have noted that Statkorn Holding Ltd does not enjoy monopoly privileges, since 
private firms are allowed to import grain, milled pr oducts, or feed concentrates in competition with 
Statkorn Holding.
30  Statkorn Holding Ltd is a commercial limited liability company totally owned by 
the State;  in 1999, the Government put forward to Parliament a motion to privatize 49% Statkorn Holding.  The authorities indicated that the privati zation of Statkorn was expected to be completed in 
the autumn of 2000.  
(iv) Support programmes  
127. Support measures are generally with the exception of agriculture and fisheries, decided by 
Parliament each year on the basis of the Gove rnment’s Budget Proposal .  Norway applies the 
same rules as the EU with regard to state aid,  which is governed in Norway by Act No. 117 of 
27 November 1992 on State Aid and by regulations c oncerning implementation of the provisions of 
the EEA Agreement relating to state aid. 
128. Table III.13 provides general information of No rway's support programmes;  further details 
may be found in Norway's notifications under Article XVI:1 of the GATT 1994 (on subsidies) and Article 25 of the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures.
31  Total support in 1998, as 
measured by budgetary outlays, was NKr 18.5 billion, or some 1.7% of GDP, 3.1% lower than 
in 1997.  More than two thirds of total support was destined to the agricultura l sector.  Together with 
forestry and fisheries, support to the agricultural sector represented 1.2% of GDP in 1998.  Support to 
industrial activities through various schemes, such  as research and development, programmes for 
small and medium-size enterprises, regional progra mmes, and others, represented some 0.5% of GDP 
in 1998.  The main beneficiary was the shipbuilding industry, where subsidies were some 0.18% of 
GDP. 
129. Although total government support has been fa lling in absolute terms since 1995, at 1.7% 
of GDP, it remains high.  Moreover, due to an in crease in subsidies to sh ipyards in 1999, some 
NKr 2 billion, total support outlays are estimated to have increased slightly in 1999 compared 
                                                      
29 Until 1995, the Norwegian National Grain Administratio n, originally established to ensure stable and 
adequate supply of grain, flour and grain seed, held the exclusive rights to import grain and feeding stuffs and 
was obliged to purchase all domestically produced grain at fixed prices.  
30 WTO document G/STR/Q1/NOR/5, 17 June 1999. 
31 WTO documents G/SCM/N/38/NOR, 25 August 1998, and G/SCM/N/48/NOR, 19 October 1999. Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
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with 1998.  For 2000, however, budgeted outlays point to a reduction of 7.2% over 1998, due mainly 
to a considerable reduction in aid to shipyards,  but also to cuts in some other programmes. 
130. In the context of the EEA, Norway was the defendant in a case brought to the EFTA 
Surveillance Authority in 1998 with respect  to regionally differentiated taxation. 
(a) Research and development schemes 
131. Norway has a number of research and deve lopment (R&D) support schemes, which include 
an industrial R&D programme, and industrial and public R&D contract s.  There is also a joint 
programme with Sweden on industrial R&D.  Norw ay participates in the EU Framework Programmes 
and in cooperation projects such as EUREKA,  IEA and CREST (Comité pour la Recherche 
Scientifique et Technique).  Norway contri butes 1.8% of the Framework Programmes budget.  
Government support to industrial research and de velopment was estimated at some NKr 752.7 million 
in 1998 (some US$95 million) down from NKr 795 m illion in 1997 (Table III.13), with an average 
subsidy of NKr 700,000 per project.  
132. The Industrial R&D Contracts Programme is ai med at stimulating product development and 
building business networks.  Aid takes the form of gr ants of up to 35% of project costs for applied 
research and development projects of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).  Contracts supported are generally between a SME and a large en terprise, which may be foreign.  The Public 
R&D Contracts Programme is aimed at reinforcing the capabilities of Norwegian companies to satisfy 
the needs of public entities.  The aid com ponent of a project under this programme may reach 50% for 
basic industrial research and 25% fo r applied research and development;  SMEs may obtain an additional 
10 percentage points in the aid component of their project.  The Swedish-Norwegian Industrial Fund (SNI) provides grants for pre-feasibility studies, loan s, contracts with royalty repayments, and equity 
capital, generally to SMEs and for R&D proj ects involving cooperation between Swedish and 
Norwegian companies in all industries but extractio n of oil and gas.  The Industrial R&D Programme 
provides grants, loans and guarantees for industrial research and development.  The maximum aid intensity is 50% for basic research and 25% for a pplied R&D;  SMEs may obtain 10 percentage points 
additional aid intensity.  The average subsidy pe r project of new grants was about NKr 700,000 
in 1998.
32 
(b) Assistance to disadvantaged regions 
133. Regional support schemes are applied generally  with the goal of maintaining the overall 
population pattern;  they are administered in accord ance with the EEA Agreement and are notified to 
and subject to approval by the EFTA Surveillance Authority.33  Regional grants are administered by 
the Ministry of Local Government and Regional De velopment, but the day-to-day operation of most 
schemes is undertaken by the Norwegian Industr ial and Regional Development Fund (SND) and 
16 county municipalities.  Regi onal support programmes are available to all enterprises in 
disadvantaged areas except those engaged in primar y production (agriculture, forestry and fisheries), 
and oil extraction or refining.  Norway's regi onal development programmes include a scheme for 
restructuring in regions dependant on a single indus try, and some cases of company restructuring in 
recent years have been carried out as community-speci fic projects.  Grants and loans to enterprises in 
disadvantaged regions amounted to NKr 838.2 mil lion in 1998, of which NKr 81.7 million was for 
restructuring (Table III.13).  Beneficiaries of one  support programme may draw funds from another, 
provided that the programmes fall under the same budget chapter. 
                                                      
32 WTO document G/SCM/N/48, 19 October 1999. 
33 As a result of the EEA, some adjustments were made to Norway's regional support scheme, mainly 
regarding maximum aid intensity and definition of aid objectives.  The latest adjustments entered into force on 1 January 2000.  WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
Page 60 
 
 
Table III.13 
Industry-wide and selected sector-s pecific support programmes in Norway 
(NKr million)  
Initiation 
year Expiry Type of programme/project: Measure Estimated 
subsidy in 
1997 Estimated 
subsidy in 
1998 
  Research and development  795.0 752.7 
1991 .. Industrial research and development programmes grants 596.2 585.8 
1968 .. Public research and develo pment contracts grants 156.5 104.0 
1994 .. Industrial research and development contracts grants 36.7 55.1 
1982 2001 Swedish-Norwegian Industrial Fund grants/loans/equity 5.6 7.8 
      
  Regional development  867.2 838.2 
1966 .. Regional investment grants grants or loans 641.1a 654.0 a 
1983 .. Development of business and industry grants or loans   
1987 .. Restructuring in single industry regions grants 91.7 79.0 
.. .. Industrial Estates and Development (SIVA) grants 17.0 17.0 
1986 .. National programmes for regional development grants 89.0 72.0 
1988 1995 Restructuring in the community of Rana grants 4.9 1.0 
1991 1999 Restructuring in the community of  Sør-Varanger grants 10.5 2.3 
1993 1999 Restructuring in Grenland grants 13.0 12.9 
1991 1996 Viking Business Development A/S (Askim) grants 0.0 0.0 
      
  Small and medium-sized enterprises  632.6 403.3 
1993 .. Development Grants grants 472.1 273.0 
1988 .. Public Advisory System  (free) services 160.5 130.3 
      
  Environmental  improvement  230.7 306.1 
1990 1997 Development and diffusion of cleaner 
technologies investment grant 5.1 10.6 
1990 .. Waste reduction and recycli ng investment grant 72.6 48.5 
1992 1997 Loan guarantees for investment in cleaner  
technologies one-off guarantee 0.0 0.0 
1991 2011 Treatment of hazardous wa ste loan/loan guarantee 31  0.0 
1979 .. Introduction of new energy technology grants 122.0 247.0 
      
  Tax concessions (revenue forgone)  156.0 162.0 
1992 .. Carbon dioxide tax;  pulp and paper industry tax rebate 54.0 50.0 
  Carbon dioxide tax;  fish fl our industry tax rebate 10.0 12.0 
  Carbon dioxide tax;  cement  and leca tax rebate 92.0 100.0 
      
  Sector specific support measures    
      
1969 .. Newspapers grants 203.0 187.9 
      
  Shipbuilding  754.7 1,326.5 
1982 1989 Financing and construction loans for shipbuilding subsidized interest and 
construction loans 79.8 26.5 
1990  Contract and construction loans grants 674..9 1,300 
      
  Assistance to export promotion  -301.9 -201.0 
1986, 1989 .. Strategy Programme and Programme for Export 
Development in SMEs services free or partly 
free of charge 56.7 168.0 
1978 .. Export Credit Financing Sche me interest  rate support 
and currency risk 
reduction 47.0 44.0 
1960 .. Export Credit Guarantees guarantees -405.6 -413.0 
      
  Assistance to the fishery sector  157.1 132.3 
1964 .. Transport support grant 35.5 33.0 
1964  Support for specific fisheries grant 0.9 0.9 
1986 1989 Interest rate subsidies for fishing vessels for 
domestic deliveries:  long-term  financing and construction loans  interest rate and 
construction loan subsidy 8.1 5.0 
1990 .. Contract and construc tion loan subsidies for 
fishing vessels for domestic delivery contract subsidy 91.8 75.4 
1989 .. Building or Purchase of Vessels for Finnmark 
County grant 0.0 0.0 
1964  Support to long-line baiti ng facilities grant 13.8 13.0 
    Table III.13 (cont'd) Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
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Initiation 
year Expiry Type of programme/project: Measure Estimated 
subsidy in 
1997 Estimated 
subsidy in 
1998 
1964  Research Fishery grant 7.0 5.0 
      
  Assistance to the forestry sector  270.6 234.7 
1965 .. Tax concessions in forestry, the Forest Trust Fund, 
and the Five-Year Average Tax Assessment tax concessions 77.0 76.0 
1971 .. Subsidies for Forest Management Planning grants 36.1 35.7 
1931 .. Subsidies for Afforestation a nd Silviculture grants 93.5 106.0 
1961 .. Subsidies for Construction of forest roads grants 54.7 66.2 
1976 .. Subsidy for Harvesting of Round Wood in 
difficult terrain grants 7.7 9.6 
1976 .. Subsidies for Round Wood Sale and Transport grants 1.6 7.4 
Memorandum: Total support to industry  5,501 5,249 
 Support to agriculture, forestry and fisheries  13,133 12,992 
 Total support  19,142 18,543 
..  No expiry date. 
a  The figure includes both the Regional Investment Grants and the Regional Grants for the Development of Business and Industry . 
Source:  WTO documents G/SCM/N/38/NOR, 25 August 1998,  G/SCM/N/38/NOR/Suppl.1, 19 October 1999, and 
G/SCM/N/48/NOR, 19 October 1999. 
134. The Regional Investment Grant programme is ai med at supplying regional aid, promoting job 
creation, and contributing to de velop permanent and profitable business in areas with regional  
problems (such as a declining population) or a low level of economic activity.  Grants are provided 
for tangible investments to enterpri ses located in the assisted areas in most sectors (exceptions include 
agriculture, forestry and fishery, and a number of service activities);  SMEs are given priority.  The concessional component of the grants depends on the area:  aid intensity may be as high as 25% of 
investment costs, SMEs obtain an additional 5 pe rcentage points.  The Regional Grants for the 
Development of Business and Industry Progra mme has similar general objectives, scope and 
characteristics as the Regional Investment Grant, ex cept that it does not finance tangible investment, 
but covers only costs eligible under the notion of "soft aid" (one-off measures to update knowledge or 
establish business networks) and R&D projects.  In  1998, some 52% of new grants under this 
programme were provided to industries outside of the service sector;  the average subsidy per project was NKr 200,000.  The authorities noted that, in general, support at micr o levels for regional 
assistance had been reduced as of 1 January 2000,  and that further reductions were expected.  
However, support at an aggregate level was not expected to fall. 
135. The Scheme for Restructuring in regions dependent on a single industry provides grants 
aimed at restructuring and job creation in muni cipalities and regions dependent on a single industry 
experiencing structural and financial difficulties;  it covers eligible costs under the notion of "soft 
aid".  The Norwegian Corporation for Industrial Es tates and Development (SIVA) Programme has the 
primary objective of providing regional assistance  and attaining regional development, and the 
secondary objective of supporting SMEs.  Grants are provided to SMEs primarily in manufacturing 
industry and located in assisted areas, and cover up to 50% of costs eligible under the notion of "soft 
aid".  The National Programme for Regional De velopment has the objective of creating new 
structures and collaboration between R&D centres and private SMEs.  The programme is directed mainly to SMEs in the private sector located in  assisted areas involved in a pluriannual cooperation 
programme of broader national inter est with an R&D institution.   
136. The Funds for Restructuring of the Community of Sør-Varanger Programme was created to 
promote development of new industrial activity and jo b creation, as a consequence of the restructuring 
of the iron ore industry during the 1991-96 peri od.  The scheme was ex tended to 31 December 1999 
to help the community cope with the closure of "Sydvaranger ASA".  The Restructuring of the 
Grenland Area Programme was creat ed in response to industrial decline and high unemployment in WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
Page 62 
 
 
the region.  The programme was available to enterp rises in the region, mainly SMEs, for development 
projects, preliminary studies and one-off update of knowledge.  The programme was terminated on 31 December 1999.  The Restructuring of the Community of Rana Programme , aimed at regional 
restructuring, development of new industrial activity , and job creation in the community of Rana, was 
terminated in 1995;  payments were made in 1996,  1997 and 1998.  Some 40% of the grants were 
allocated to infrastructure projects and new jobs in public bodies, the rest to private sector job 
creation. 
(c) Assistance to small and medium-sized companies 
137. The Development Grants Programme  is aimed at assisting SMEs to improve efficiency.  The 
scheme is available for all sectors except certain service activities, and may cover, in the case of 
SMEs, up to 50% of costs eligible under the notion of  "soft aid";  up to 35% of costs eligible for 
applied research and development proj ects;  and up to 7.5% of physi cal investment.  In 1998, 35% of 
grants were to service industries.  The Government  also provides financial grants to a number of 
institutions to encourage the tran sfer of know-how to SMEs.  Aid consists in the provision of 
consulting services free or partly free of charge for SMEs.   
(d) Assistance for environmental improvement 
138. Norway currently conducts four progra mmes of assistance for enterprises engaging 
in environmental improvement.  Two other pr ogrammes to use cleaner technologies (Aid for 
Development and Diffusion of Cleaner Technologies, and Loan Guarantees for Investment in Cleaner 
Technologies, Waste Reduction and Recy cling) were terminated in 1997. 
139. The four programmes are as follows:  the Grants for Capacity Building and Information for 
Sustainable Production and Consumption  Programme  aims at promoting information and capacity 
building for more sustainable production and cons umption patterns, including waste reduction and 
recycling.  Aid takes the form of one-off investme nt grants to projects, and is available to all 
enterprises.  Through the Guarantee for Loan Facility and Loan Fac ility to the Company Responsible 
for treatment of Hazardous Waste Programme , Norsk Avfallshandtering AS is granted a loan on 
commercial terms of up to NKr 100 million and a free guarantee for up to 55%, or a maximum of 
NKr 250 million for its external loans, to reduce th e risk related to building and operating a plant for 
treating hazardous waste.  The Grant Programme for Introducti on of New Energy Technology  has the 
objective of supporting the introduction of new ener gy-efficient and renewable-energy technology.  
Grants are provided for equipment, training and co nsultant fees in connection with the introduction 
and demonstration of new technology.  The Grants for Development of Sustainable Products and 
Buildings Programme  aims at promoting more sustainabl e production and consumption patterns.  
Grants are available, for a total of NKr 11.5 million, for a number of small projects with an emphasis on development of environmentally friendly products and technologies. 
(e) Assistance to specific sectors 
140. The Interest Rate Subsidies for the Shipbuild ing Industry:  Long Term Financing and 
Construction Loans Programme  consisted in the provision of an in terest rate subsidy to ship owners 
and a construction loan subsidy to yards.  The scheme was in place between 1982 and 1989, when the 
last loans were granted.  However, repaymen ts will continue until 2003.  The programme was 
replaced by the Contract and Construction Loan Subsidies to the Shipbuilding Industry Scheme .  The 
authorities noted that shipbuilding has been a part  of the EEA Agreement since 1 May 1995 and that 
the subsidy scheme was in accordance with Coun cil Regulation (EC) 1540/98 of 29 June 1998 
establishing new rules on old aid to shipbuilding.  Un der this scheme, contract-related operated aid is Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
 Page 63 
 
 
calculated as a percentage of the contract price of the ship;  the subsidy rates are 9% for new 
ships worth more than ECU 10 million and 4.5% fo r new ships of a value less than ECU 10 million 
and for conversions.  The scheme covers new ships greater than 100 Gt and conversions greater than 
1,000 Gt.  Total amounts paid in 1998 were NKr 1, 326.5 million.  The main trade effect of the 
programme is, according to the authorities, the correction of competitive distortions faced by 
Norwegian yards compared to foreign yards receiving subsidies.34  Operating aid is scheduled to be 
abolished on 1 January 2001 in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) 1540/98. 
141. The Reduced CO 2 Tax on Mineral Oil/Coal and Coke Programme  consists of tax concessions 
on CO 2 tax rates for the paper and pulp, and fish-flour industries.  The CO 2 tax is imposed on all fossil 
fuels at a general rate of NKr 0.47 per litre/kg.  The stated purpose of the scheme is to avoid an 
undesirable worsening of the concerned companie s competitive position, since few other countries 
have a CO 2 tax.  As of 1993, the paper and pulp industry and the fish-flour industry pay a CO 2 tax 
reduced by 50%.  The CO 2 tax for petrol is NKr 0.94 in 2000;  the CO 2 tax for oil production on the 
continental shelf is NKr 0.70.  In addition, some  other sectors are exempt from the tax.  The CO 2 tax 
scope was extended from 1 January 1999 to the supply  fleet in the North Sea, national air transport 
and coastal goods transport, at a reduc ed rate of NKr 0.26 per litre of oil.35  The sectors still excluded 
from the CO 2 tax on mineral oil are:  international air tr ansport;  ships engaged in foreign trade;  
coastal fishing;  and fishing and hunting in distan t waters.  Any industry using coal and coke as 
reducing agent or as raw material in industrial processes has exemption from  the tax. 
142. The Press Subsidies programme  aims at promoting and main taining a diversified press.  
Newspapers with one or more issues per week with an average circulation between 
1,000-6,000 copies can apply for grants.  Grants ar e also given to newspapers in an unfavourable 
market position and with an average circulation up to 80,000.  The size of the grant is calculated on 
the basis of the individual newspaper's annual circulation. 
143. A number of assistance programmes also exist for fi sheries, forestry and agriculture.  In the 
case of the fisheries, specific support under all th e sectoral programmes notified to the WTO reached 
NKr 132.3 million in 1998.  Assistance to the for estry sector totalled NKr 234.7 million in the same 
year, while support to agriculture reached NKr 10.38 billion.  The support programmes for these 
sectors are detailed in Chapter IV.  All manufacturing and mining enterprises are exempt from the consumption tax on electricity. 
(v) Intellectual property rights 
144. Norway has notified to the WTO its main intellectual property laws.  The Norwegian 
authorities have stated that, in general, Norweg ian law on patents, layout-designs of integrated 
circuits, protection of undisclosed information and co ntrol of anti-competitive practices in contractual 
licences as well as copyright legislation, comp lied with the TRIPS Agreement even before the 
Agreement was signed, and that amendments to  Norwegian law was required on only a few points.
36 
(a) Patents 
145. The main legislation protecting inventions in  Norway is the Patents Act (No. 9) of 
15 December 1967.  The amendment included in Ac t No. 82 of 22 December 1995, allowed for the 
granting of a right of priority from 1 January 1996 on the basis of earlier applications filed in any 
other WTO Member country.  Other amendments in troduced in Norwegian patent legislation to 
                                                      
34 WTO document G/SCM/N/38, 10 August 1998. 
35 WTO document G/SCM/N/48, 19 October 1999. 
 36 WTO document  IP/Q3/NOR/1  22 January 1998.  WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
Page 64 
 
 
implement the TRIPS Agreement include those in Act No. 104 of 20 December 1996, to comply with 
provisions for the use of a patent wit hout authorization of the patent holder.37  A m e n d m e n t s  o f  
13 June 1997 brought the Patents Act into confor mity with the new Companies Act.  New Patent 
Regulations introducing the post-grant opposition pr ocedure were issued on 20 December 1996 and 
entered into force on 1 January 1997. 
146. The Norwegian Patent Office, under the Ministry of  Trade and Industry, is the patent authority 
in Norway.  The Patent Office receives applications, which must describe clearly the invention, and be accompanied by an abstract of the description and patent claims, all of which must be drawn up in 
Norwegian.  Patent applications are processed following a novelty search ;  applicants may request, upon 
prior payment of a fee, that the novelty search be  conducted by an international search authority.  
Granted patents are entered in a Register of Patents kept by the Patent Office .  All documents regarding 
a patent application are made public when the patent is granted, or 18  months after the date of filing. 
147. In general, patents may be granted to any inve ntion susceptible of industrial application.  A 
negative list provides for innovations that are not c onsidered to be inventions for patent purposes, 
including aesthetic creations, computer programs, methods for doing business, and presentations of 
information.  In addition, under Norwegian law, pa tents are not granted on plants and animals other 
than micro-organisms.  Exclusive rights granted by patent protection do not include, among others, 
exploitation of products protected by the patent th at have been put on the market in the EEA by the 
patent holder, or with his/her consent.  As an exception to patent protection and, according to the 
authorities, to allow the application of the Chicago Convention, spare parts and accessories for aircraft 
may be imported into Norway without the permission of a patent holder, and used for the repair of 
aircraft from countries that are party to the Chicago Convention of 1944 on International Civil 
Aviation and to the Paris Convention for the Protec tion of Industrial Property.   Patents relating to 
inventions of importance to the defence of the c ountry are governed by Act No. 8 of 26 June 1953, 
which permits the Patent Office to grant secret patents.  The authorities noted that some 19 secret patent applications had be en filed and three secret patents granted since 1996. 
148. As mentioned, Norwegian patent law has allowe d since 1996, the right of priority for patent 
applications made in other WTO Member countri es, or Paris Convention parties, provided the 
application has been disclosed not more than 12 mont hs before the filing date in Norway.  The Patent 
Act also contains a grandfather clause:  anyone using an invention commercially before the patent 
application was filed may continue using it.  Th e grandfather clause may also be applied when 
granting priority rights for an application in anot her WTO Member country or Paris Convention party, 
provided similar priority rights exist in the country where the application has been filed.  
149. Oppositions to a granted patent may be presente d to the Patent Office in writing within nine 
months of the granting of the pate nt.  Decisions by the Patent Office may be appealed to the Patent 
Office's Board of Appeals;  a decision by the Board may not be brought before any higher 
administrative authority, but may be brought before th e Oslo City Court.  A decision by the Oslo City 
Court may be appealed in a higher court.  The auth orities noted that, although the number of oppositions 
varies from one year to another, the average is about 1.5% of total patents granted annually. 
150. Patent protection is granted for a period of 20 years from the applica tion filing date.  An 
additional protection period may in certain cases be granted for up to five years for medicinal products 
and plant-protection products.  A rene wal fee must be paid each year.  A patent may be terminated if the 
renewal fees are not paid or by c ourt decision.  International applica tions that are filed in authorized 
receiving offices of countri es signatories of the Patent Cooperati on Treaty and that have been given a 
                                                     
 
37 WTO document IP/N/1/NOR/P/5, 15 September 1998. Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
 Page 65 
 
 
filing date are considered as if th ey had been submitted to the Norwegian Patent Office on that date.  
Compulsory licences for a patent may be obtained if, for example, a patentable invention is not given commercial use within three years from the date the patent was granted or if it is required for the 
exploitation of an invention representing an "impor tant technical advance of considerable economic 
importance".  In the case of semi-conductors, co mpulsory licences may be granted only for public 
non-commercial use or to remedy a practice determin ed to be anti-competitive by a judicial or 
administrative process.  Transfers of compulsory licences may take place only if the business using the licence changes hands.  Compulsory licences are s ubject to compensation.  No licences have been 
granted under the current Patents Act, although procedures have been initiated in a few cases.   
151. A total of 28,509 patent applications were file d in the 1994-98 period.  The number of patents 
granted in the period was, 12,089 patents and 14,551  applications were rejected on various grounds, 
such as non-compliance with fee regulations.  Duri ng the first ten months of 1999, 5,314 patent 
applications were filed;  4,167 applications were co nsidered, and 1,886 patents were granted.  At year 
end, there were 16,490 patents.  The average ha ndling time is approximately six months regarding 
applications with priority and on average tw o years regarding national cases without priority 
(Table III.14).  
Table III.14 
Patent, design and trade mark applications, 1993-1998  
 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 
Patent applications 4,917 5,103 5,401 5,625 6,161 6,219 
  National applications filed by Norweg ian applicants 1,031 1,074 1,128 1,291 1,256 1,213 
  National applications filed by fore ign applicants 2,073 1,882 1,712 1,624 1,480 1,416 
  National phase applications PCT-Chapter I 372 363 385 420 .. .. 
  International phase applications  PCT-Chapter II 1,441 1,784 2,176 2,290 .. .. 
     Sum PCT chapter I and II (incl. Norwegian appl.) 1,813 2,147 2,561 2,710 3,425 3,590 
  Percentage of Norwegian appli cations on total (%) 21 21 21 23 20 19.8  
  Change in total applications compar ed to previous year (%) .. 4 6 4 10 1 
  Decided patent applications 5,590 5,443 4,890 4,725 5,900 4,450 
  Decided design applications 1,018 845 753 977 1,255 900 
Trade mark applications 6,461 7,455 8,183 8,503 10,956 12,226 
  From Norwegian applicants 1,639 1,853 2,117 2,556 2,807 3,011 
  From foreign applicants 4,822 5,602 6,066 5,074 4,809 3,858 
  Designations according to Madr id Protocol .. .. .. 873 3,340 5,357 
  Percentage of designations acc. Madrid Protocol (%) .. .. .. 10 30 24.6  
  Change in total applications compar ed to previous year (%) -1 15 10 4 29 44 
  Decided trade mark applications 7,925 6,507 5,578 9,782 11,785 11,569 
.. Not available. 
Source:  Information provided by the Norwegian authorities. 
(b) Design protection 
152. Designs are protected in Norway in accordance with the Design Act No. 33 of 29 May 1970, 
as amended by Act No. 2 of 8 February 1980, Act No. 82 of 22 December 1995, and Act No. 104 of 
20 December 1996.  The Design Act was implemente d following the Regulations on Registration of 
Designs of 20 December 1996, and came into force on 1 January 1997.  The Norwegian Patent Office 
is responsible for the administration of the Design Ac t, for registration, and for maintaining a Register 
of Designs, which is accessible to the public. WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
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153. A design right gives its holder exclusive use for the purposes of  trade and business.  To be 
protected, a design must be registered.  The importation of spare parts and accessories to be used for the repair of aircraft, may be excluded from the right to  a design.  The authorities have indicated that this 
provision is necessary in or der for Norway to comply with the re quirements of Article  27 of the Chicago 
Convention on International Civil Aviation.
38 
154. Registered designs are protected for up to five  years from the date on which the application 
for registration was filed.  Registration may be rene wed for two further periods of five years each.  
Applicants must be Norwegian residents or have  a representative in Norway, except if they are 
domiciled in Denmark or Sweden.  Application prio rity may be claimed for registration in Norway 
within six months of application for registration in  another WTO Member or Paris Convention party.  
Compulsory licencing of a design right is allowed in cases where the design was already been used, or 
preparations had been made for its use.  Co mpulsory licences are subject to the payment of 
compensation. 
155. Decisions were made on 4,730 design applications  in the period 1994-1998;  during the first 
ten months of 1999, 786 design applications were considered. 
(c) Trade marks 
156. Trade mark rights are protected in Norway for both goods and services:  they grant the 
exclusive commercial use of a sign and the right to prevent its use in the same or similar goods and 
services covered by the mark or if there is danger of confusion.  The exclusive right to use a trade mark may be given by either registration or u se.  Well-known marks are protected from misuse or 
from the lessening of their reputation. 
157. The Trade Marks Act No. 4 of 3 March 1961 (as amended by Act No. 9 of 21 June 1963, Act 
No. 33 of 29 May 1970, Act No. 47 of 16 June 1972, Act No. 79 of 21 June 1985, Act No. 113 of 27 November 1992, Act No. 82 of 22 December 1995, and Act No. 104 of 20 December 1996), is the 
main legislation on trade marks.
39  The Trade Marks Act is implemented by the Trade Mark 
Regulations of 20 December 1996, which en tered into force on 1 January 1997.  
158. To be registered, a trade mark must be capable of distinguishing the goods of the trade mark 
holder from others.  Actual use of a trade mark is not a condition for filing an application for 
registration.  Applications for registration must be submitted to the Norwegian Patent Office, which 
maintains a Register of Trade Marks.  The regist ration of a trade mark may be opposed within two 
months of its publication through an opposition filed with the Patent Office.  Registered trade marks 
are protected from the moment the application fo r registration is submitted, during the period the 
application is being processed, and for ten years from  the date of registration.  The registration is 
subsequently renewable for periods of ten years.  Non-use of a trade mark for a period of five years from the date of registration may lead  to revocation of the registration. 
159. Norway recognizes a right of priority on the basi s of an earlier trade mark application filed in 
another WTO Member (or party to the Paris Conven tion) by a national of a WTO Member, as stated 
in section 30 of the Trade Marks Act.  The applicati on for registration in Norway must be filed within 
six months of the first application for registrati on made abroad.  Registration of foreigners' trade 
marks is subject to a reciprocity condition:  regist ration in Norway requires proof that the applicant 
has registered the trade mark in his/her home count ry, except if the applicant's home country grants 
                                                     
 
38 WTO document IP/Q2/NOR/1,24 September 1997. 
39 WTO document IP/N/1/NOR/T/1/Rev.2, 14 September 1998. Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
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corresponding rights with respect to trade mark app lications from owners of industrial or commercial 
establishments in Norway. 
160. Unregistered well-known trade marks are protected in a similar way as registered trade marks.  
Protection is granted in this case by use.  Exclusive rights to an unregistered trade mark, are considered 
grounds to prevent the registration of the same si gn by someone else. The Trade Marks Act does not 
specifically require the use of the well-known ma rk in Norway in order for it to be protected. 
161. Wilful infringement of a trade mark is punishab le with a fine or with imprisonment of up to 
three months, and payment of a remuneration for the use of the trade mark and compensation for 
damages. 
162. Between 1994 and 1998, 45,221 trade mark appli cations and international registrations were 
considered.  During the first ten mont hs of 1999, 12,109 were considered. 
(d) Copyright 
163. Norway is a party to the Berne Convention (since 1947), the Universal Copyright Convention 
of 1952, and the Rome Convention.  The main legi slation dealing with copyright is Act No. 2 of 
12 May 1961 relating to Copyright in Literary, Scien tific, and Artistic Works (the Copyright Act) as 
amended on several occasions.  The two most recen t amendments to the Act were on 16 April 1999 
(implementation of EC Directive 96/9/EC), and 9 January 1998 (implementation of EC Directive 
92/100/EEC).  A Regulation of 25 April 1997, on the a pplication of the Act on Copyright with respect 
to other countries, was notified to the WTO on 14 August 1998.40  Section 14 of the new regulation 
repeals two regulations earlier notified by No rway under Article 63.2 (the Regulations 
of 10 April 1964 Regarding Implementation of the International Conventions on Copyright, and the 
Regulations of 22 December 1989 concerning th e implementation of the Rome Convention). 
164. In order to implement the TRIPS Agreement, No rway issued new regulations with respect to 
copyright in 1997.  The Regulations of 25 April 1997 Concerning the Application of the Copyright Act to Works Connected with Other Countries repeal ed the previous regulations of 10 April 1964 and 
22 December 1989.
41  The Regulations implement the obliga tions to foreign right holders stemming 
from the various international treaties to which Norway is party. 
165. Copyright is extended to the author of a lite rary, scientific or artistic work.  National 
treatment is granted to other WTO Members as rega rds copyright and neighbouring rights.  Copyright 
protection lasts 70 years from the end of the year of the author's death (or last surviving author, if it is a collective work).  Anonymous works are protected  for 70 years from the end of the year in which 
they were publicly presented.   
166. Computer programs are protected as literary or scientific works under the Copyright Act;  
right holders of computer programs (and cinematographic works) are granted the rental rights of their work.  Compilations of data that constitute intellectual  creations are protected either as literary works or 
as composite works.  Photographs are protected for 50 years from the end of the year in which they were 
taken. 
167. Databases that constitute an intellectual crea tion are protected as works under the Copyright 
Act.  In addition, a separate, sui generis , database protection is awarded to the producer of a database, 
giving her/him an exclusive right of reproduction, as well as the right to make the database available 
                                                     
 
40 WTO document IP/N/1/NOR/C/2, 10 November 1998. 
41 WTO document IP/N/1/NOR/C/2, 10 November 1998. WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
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to the public.  This protection is also granted to similar subject matters, such as catalogues and tables.  
The term of protection for this specific, sui generis  right is 15 years, and protection is accorded to 
subject-matter produced by a person who is a national of  or resident in or who has his/her registered 
office in a country within the EEA.  Provisions regarding neighbouring right holders (performing 
artists, producers, broadcasters) prohibit the audio recording, the broadcast and the communication to 
the public of a live performance/broadcast and the co pying of fixations of such performances without 
the consent of the right holder.  The term of pr otection expires 50 years after the first relevant 
broadcast, fixation or performance takes place.  
168. Compulsory licensing in general does not apply to copyright;  however, the Copyright Act 
allows limited use for specific purposes, either with  or without remuneration, in accordance with a 
three-step test.  Remuneration is paid for use fo r the disabled, use of published works of art, for 
purposes of reporting, and for use of smaller parts of literary and musical works in collective works 
meant for educational or religious purposes.  For ar tists and producers there is also a remuneration 
right for the broadcasting of phonograms.  For an alogue reproduction in edu cational institutions and 
internal use in other institutions, as well as for cabl e distribution of broadcasts, and the broadcasting 
of published works by the Norwegian Broadcasti ng Corporation, there is an extended collective 
licensing condition by which the user must clea r all exclusive rights through an agreement 
representing the rights holders.  The authorities note d that this is a Nordic system for managing 
exclusive rights. 
169. Norway applies a levy on the production and import of analogue video and audio 
blank cassettes.  There is also a levy on the prod uction and import of radio and television appliances 
that include recording equipment.  The authoriti es noted that both levies would be eliminated from 
1 December 2000 in view of their diminishing relevance as similar (untaxed) recording devices had been developed, and since the ad ministrative costs of collecting the levies were disproportionate to 
their level:  levies collected on blank tapes amount ed to NKr 47.5 million in 1999;  levies collected 
from radio and television appliances were NK r 275.7 million.  The Norwegian Cassette Levy 
Foundation was set up to promote the production of new recordings, through grants, and to stimulate 
national culture.  The Foundation's yearly budget is independently decided each year by Parliament, 
and amounted to NKr 29.7 million in 1999. 
(e) Other intellectual property rights 
Plant varieties 
170. Plant varieties are protected by the Plant Breed ers' Rights Act (No. 32) of 12 March 1993;  
to be eligible for protection plant varieties must  be registered.  Plants and animals other than 
micro-organisms may not be granted patent protection.  Plant breeders' rights may only be granted to 
variety owners who are nationals, residents or have their registered office in Norway, or in a State 
member of the WTO or of the International Uni on for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants 
(UPOV). 
Geographical indications 
171. Geographical indications are protected by the Trade Marks Act, the Marketing Control Act, 
and the Competition Act.  The Trade Marks Act pr ohibits the registration of deceptive trade marks, 
which although not explicitly stated, includes geographical indications.  The Act also prohibits the use of deceptive signs.  Misleading use of geographical indications is also forbidden under the Competition 
Act.  The use of false or otherwis e misleading geographical indications is  considered to be contrary to Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
 Page 69 
 
 
good business practices and is theref ore prohibited under the Marketing Control Act, which proscribes 
acts that run counter to "good business practice".   
172. Since Norway's last Review, am endments have been introduced to both the Trade Marks Act 
and the Marketing Control Act to reflect the requirem ents of Article 23 of the TRIPS Agreement.  The 
Trade Marks Act was amended by section 14 of Ac t No. 104 of 20 December 1996, to preclude the 
registration of trade mark s containing geographical i ndications with respect to wine and spirits, unless 
the product has the geographical origin indicate d.  A similar amendment was introduced to the 
Marketing Control Act, by  section 9 of Act No. 104 of 20 Decembe r 1996, which also prohibits the use 
of false or misleading geographical indi cations, even when the real origin is also stated, if the indication 
is translated or followed by expressions such as "style", "type" or "imitation". 
Layout-designs of integrated circuits 
173. Layout designs of integrated circuits are protected by Act No. 27 of 15 June 1990, as 
amended by Act No. 113 of 27 November 1992.  The Act grants exclusive rights for the exploitation 
of a topography of integrated circuits on semico nductors when the topography is first fixed or 
encoded and for a period of ten years from the calendar year in which the topography was first 
commercially exploited anywhere in the world.  Protection is granted on a national treatment basis 
irrespective of nationality or residency.  The Norwegian Layout-design Act empowers a court, under 
special circumstances, to grant a person found to  have acquired a copy of a layout-design in good 
faith the right to import, commercially exploit or reproduce it on reasonable conditions as laid down 
by the court.  Under certain special circumstances,  a court may decide that a negligent acquirer may 
have the same rights.  
Protection of undisclosed information 
174. Business secrets of commercial value are in general protected from disclosure and unfair 
commercial use by the Marketing Control Act No. 47 of 16 June 1972.  Undisclo sed data and tests are 
protected from unfair commercial use by administra tive practice;  in the case of medicines this 
protection expires six years after marketing a pproval for the product has been granted.  
Pharmaceutical products and medicines are pr otected from unfair commercial use by Council 
Directive 65/65/EEC of 26 January 1965 concerni ng proprietary medici nal products, and Council 
Directive 81/851/EEC of 28 September 1981 concerning veterinary medicinal products. 
(f) Parallel imports 
175. Parallel imports from other EEA countries are a llowed, as required by the EEA Agreement. 
The authorities noted that, in line with the EC Trad e Marks Directive (89/104/EEC), Article 7.2 of the 
Norwegian Trade Marks Act allows the proprietor of  a trade mark, if legitimate reasons exist, to 
oppose further commercialization, including imports. 
176. With respect to parallel imports of copyrighted works, the authorities noted that the principle 
of international exhaustion applies in Norway and, th us, legitimate material such as a literary work or 
a computer program may be parallel imported into Norway even without the consent of the right 
holder.  This does not apply, however, to audio a nd audio-visual recordings:  by way of the EEA 
agreement, performing artists and producers from th e EEA have an independent distribution right, 
covering audio and audio-visual recordings, that is  regionally exhausted, which means that the copy 
must be sold within the EEA for it to be allowed to be parallel-imported into Norway without consent 
of the right holder.  In addition, the Norwegian Copyright Act prohibits pa rallel imports of sound or 
audio-visual recordings from non-EEA countries unless the right holder in Norway does not intend to 
offer the product on the Norwegian market. WT/TPR/S/70 Trade Policy Review 
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(g) Enforcement of intellectual property rights 
177. Civil lawsuits concerning intellectual property rights are governed by the Civil Procedures 
Act No. 6 of 13 August 1915.  The enforcement of judgements as well as provisional measures are governed by the Enforcement of Claims Act No. 86,  of 26 June 1992.  Criminal prosecution is 
governed by the Criminal Procedure Act No 25. of 22 May 1981.  The Enforcement of Claims Act 
allows a court to decide upon the application of pr ovisional measures, stipulating a time-limit within 
which the applicant must initiate proceedings for a decision on the merits of the case.  If the applicant 
does not take proper action within the time-limit,  the provisional measure lapses automatically.
42  
Provisional measures may not be ordered administratively.  In general, all proceedings leading to a 
decision are judicial;  injunctions cannot be gran ted on the basis of administrative proceedings, but 
must result from a judgement by a court in an ordi nary civil case.  The average duration for ordinary 
civil law suits was 6.5 months in 1999.  
178. The remedies that may be ordered by the judicial authorities include provisional measures;  
damages, including expenses and attorney's fees;  destruction or other disposal of infringing goods 
and implements for their production;  and other remedies such as punitive damages (for copyright 
infringement) or free disposal of products during pa rt or the whole of a patent term.  Damages for 
infringement of intellectual property rights must be sufficient to compensate the right holder for the 
loss inflicted by the infringement.  The payment of compensation in addition to damages for the loss 
inflicted on the right holder is treated differently in e ach of the intellectual property Acts.   In general, 
the maximum penalties prescribed for infringement of intellectual property rights involve fines and 
three months of imprisonment.  However, the maximum penalty for copyright and layout-design 
infringement certain circumstances, is three years of imprisonment.   
179. The suspension of the importation of goods infri nging intellectual property rights is available 
in respect of copyright and neighbouring rights , trade marks, patents, designs, geographical 
indications, layout-designs, and plant breeders' rights.  Provisions on border measures were adopted by Act No. 104 of 20 December 1996 as amendments to the Enforcement of Claims Act and the 
Customs Act No. 5 of 10 June 1966.  Application for the adoption of border measures must be filed 
with the Enforcement of Claims Court, in the form of a request for a provisional measure.  The 
decision to suspend imports is taken by the Enfo rcement of Claims Court as a provisional measure, 
and may be appealed to an Appeals Court, and to  the Supreme Court, in the last instance.  The 
Enforcement of Claims Court may, ex officio and at its own discretion, require the applicant to 
provide a security.  In an ordinary civil case, an a pplicant not residing in Norway may be required, at 
the defendant's request, to provide a security for his possible liability for the defendant's expenses;  
however, exceptions to this requirement may be gran ted under international treaties.  Since 1 January 
1997, the customs authorities have reported the adoption of only one border measure. 
180. The number of cases filed for civil enforcement of intellectual property rights was around 
30-35 a year in 1997 and 1998, less than half of th e cases were resolved by judgement:  most were 
solved through conciliation or other means.  Th e number of cases for criminal enforcement of 
intellectual property rights has been between 50 and 60 a year (Table III.15). 
                                                     
 
42 WTO document IP/Q4/NOR/1  26 February 1999. Norway WT/TPR/S/70 
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Table III.15 
Enforcement of intellectual prop erty rights in Norway 1996-1998 
 Number of cases or amount (estimates) 
Type of event 1996 1997 1998 
Civil cases    
Cases filed 25 to 30 30 to 35 30 to 35 
Injunctions asked for 25 30 to 35 .. 
Injunctions issued 15 to 20 20 .. 
Cases resolved by settlement 40% 40% .. 
Judgement passed 40% 45% .. 
Cases resolved otherwise 20% 15% .. 
Amount of damages awarded normally NKr 50,000 to 500,000, very 
rarely above   
Criminal cases  
Cases filed 50 to 60 50 to 60 50 to 60 
Raids 50 to 55 50 to 55 .. 
Infringing products seized  50 to 55 50 to 55 .. 
Prosecutions 30 to 35 30 to 35 .. 
Convictions 30 30 .. 
Amount of fines pronounced normally NKr 5,000 to 120,000, rarely 
above.   
Terms of jail sentences suspended jail sentences of up to 
90 days.   
.. Not available. 
Source:  WTO document IP/Q4/NOR/1 26 February 1999.