FRP waits to fly the flag on a major decision on Norwegian railways

– We haven’t finished yet. This is what FRP’s transport policy spokesperson Bård Hoksrud says about handing over more power over rail policy to the EU.

The FRP and the Labor Party will discuss railway package four in their group meetings next week. The outcome of the meetings can determine whether the Storting ends up postponing the whole thing.

FRP wants more competition on the railroad tracks. The party has been at the forefront and fought for a rail reform that allows it.

Rail package number four tries both to put out to tender the operation of the train lines and to transfer more power over the Norwegian railways to the EU bodies.

– In terms of content, we at FRP do not have great challenges, says Hoksrud and refers to tenders.

But he admits that the other side of the package is causing the party headaches.

The FRP has become an increasingly critical part of the EU in recent years. In the current party program, the party clearly says no to Norway’s membership in the EU for the first time. Several party politicians have also grown increasingly critical of the EEA deal.

Hoksrud: Interesting to hear the views of the law professor

There is a high level of legal disagreement on how much power Norway will transfer to the EU if the Storting says yes to the rail package.

• The government depends on the legal department of the Ministry of Justice. It considers this to be a transfer of authority that is “discreet.” In that case, the Storting can say yes on the basis of article 26 of the Constitution.
• Professor Christoffer C. Eriksen disagrees. He believes this is more than a “discreet” authority.

– It is interesting to know your opinion on the subject, says Hoksrud about Eriksen.

Hoksrud has met with Eriksen to obtain his legal evaluations. He has also had meetings with the unions and No to the EU.

Hoksrud says that Frp will discuss the matter at a group meeting next week. But where Frp lands, he still can’t say anything.

Other opposition parties give the party more options.

SV will get involved in the Supreme Court

SV agrees with the legal assessment of Law Professor Eriksen. The party believes that it would be contrary to the Constitution to incorporate the EU rail package into Norwegian law.

– It is about whether the national authorities should have the right to control the railway or whether the EU should have the last word, says Arne Nævra.

He is the spokesman for the party’s transportation policy.

SV will take the case to the Supreme Court, so they can make a legal assessment of the case. At the same time, SV will send the case back to the government.

Nævra emphasizes that if the FRP “wants to say something with its skepticism of the EU”, they should say no to the Storting considering the matter in accordance with section 26 of the Constitution.

Labor and “No to EEA Parties” rarely coincide

In principle, both the Labor Party, the Socialist People’s Party, the Socialist People’s Party, the MDGs and the Red Party oppose the tender for train routes. Everyone is also against the political content of the railway package.

– This is the rail policy of the right. In essence, all rail traffic will be exposed to competition. We are against it, says Ap’s transport policy spokesperson Sverre Myrli.

Labor and “No to EEA” parties, such as the Socialist People’s Party, the Socialist People’s Party and the Red Party, used to have different views on incorporating comprehensive EU directives into Norwegian law.

Ap rarely cares. The others do it much more frequently.

Labor: The Storting has three choices

Myrli says everyone agrees that the package involves some transfer of authority to the EU Railways Agency (ERA). But like the FRP, the Labor Party has not come to a conclusion about how “intrusive” it believes this transfer of power to be.

According to Myrli, the Storting now has three alternatives:

• a) Accept the legal department’s assessment and process the case this fall.
• b) Accept Professor Cristoffer C. Eriksen’s assessment that this is more than a “non-intrusive” transfer of power. The Storting cannot then consider the matter without violating the Constitution.
• c) Obtain the Supreme Court’s assessment of the proposal to transfer authority to an organization (EU) of which Norway is not a member.

Under the plan, the Storting will vote on the matter in mid-November.

Minister Hareide accuses Eriksen and fellow researcher Nils Gunnar Skretting of “darkening the debate.”

They reply that they only point to “deficiencies in the information that the Storting has received from the government and the minister on a fundamentally important matter of transferring authority directly to EU bodies.”

They also refer to “that Hareide made a mistake in telling the Storting that the EU Commission does not gain authority by incorporating the rail package into the EEA agreement.”

– We have thoroughly studied the relevant regulations of the case, the information that the ministry has submitted to the Storting and the interpretative statement of the legal department. Our publications are not deficient, they point out deficiencies in the information presented to the Storting.

– Pointing out deficiencies in the information that the Storting has received does not obscure the debate, on the contrary, they respond.