Policy Profile Norway
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Policy Profile Norway
Norway is not a member of the European Union, nonetheless, it is a member of the European Economic Area and of the Schengen Area.
Norway applied for EU membership in 1992 but withdrew after a majority of Norwegians rejected EU membership in a referendum in 1994. Nevertheless, the country ratified the Schengen Convention in 2001 and joined the European Economic Area (EEA) in 2004. The EU maintains a Delegation to Norway in Oslo to foster cooperation with the country and the Government of Norway maintains a Mission to the EU in Brussels.
Norway is one of the EU’s closest partners, including concerning culture: the country and the Union are involved in several cultural diplomacy activities. Norway takes part in the EU programme Creative Europe and supports European cultural works through the EEA Grants.
At the national level, there are two bodies dealing with the cultural policy framework in Norway. The first one is the Storting (Parliament), which holds legislative power. It is composed of different committees, including the Familie- og kulturkomiteen (Family and Cultural Committee) in charge of cultural affairs. The Storting authorises the budget and votes the laws proposed by the executive. The executive body is the Regjering (Government), composed of different ministries. The Kultur- og likestillingsdepartementet (Ministry of Culture and Equality) is responsible for drafting national cultural policies then sent to the Storting and implementing its decisions.
Other ministries are also dealing with cultural matters such as the Finansdepartementet (Ministry of Finance) concerning the budget, the Klima- og miljødepartementet (Ministry of Climate and Environment), notably for cultural heritage, the Kunnskapsdepartementet (Ministry of Education) regarding art education, and the Utenriksdepartementet (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) in charge of representing Norwegian arts and culture abroad.
The Ministry implements cultural policy through its reporting agencies. The main one is the Kulturdirektoratet (Culture Directorate), responsible for the implementation of Norwegian cultural policy, and providing state grants for art and culture thanks to the Cultural Fund allocated by the Storting. The Kulturtanken (Cultural School Bag) is the agency responsible for art and culture for young people. Other expert bodies such as the Språkrådet (Language Council), the Arkivverket (National Archives) or KORO (Art in Public Spaces) also hold responsibilities in their own fields.
Norway is composed of 15 counties, each governed by a county council in charge of regional development, education, and infrastructure, notably concerning culture and cultural heritage. Most of the 357 municipalities also have cultural boards. The municipalities are responsible for local cultural schools for children and young people, determining the content and scope of the provision in their schools.
View all Norway policies gathered so far
* = This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence
