Underskog

Panel:
Helene Bank, Special Advisor, For the Welfare State

Benedicte Bull, Associate professor, NorLARNet, University of Oslo

Ilse Castellanos, Former Statoil Venezuela, and now head of corporate responsibility in the unit for international development and production at Statoil.

Chair: Marte Gustad Iversen, LAG

About the seminar:

Through a successful industrial policy and control over natural resources, Norway has evolved to become a major power in telecommunications, fish and oil. To maintain an increasing profitability these companies are now looking worldwide for markets and raw materials. Across Latin America these companies meet states that are taking steps to increase national revenue from its natural resources, so that they will have the means to develop welfare for their citizens. This limits the companies’ earnings, but increases the national political space, in much the same way as when Norway estblished the framework for oil exploration in the North Sea. It is central to our government’s foreign and development policy that Norway should not “… take from the developing countries the management rights and remedies that have been important to develop our own society.” Meanwhile, the international situation has changed much since the 70s, and Norwegian companies must also deal with their competitors’ premises.

To what extent is it possible for Norwegian parastatal companies to follow our governments policy and also secure an income? What restrictions are countries like Bolivia and Venezuela putting on foreign oil companies, and it can be compared with historical Norwegian instruments?

The seminar will be held in English