Iris Nguyên-Duy, Dept. Of Public and International law

Introduction to the Norwegian

Legal System

(Autumn 2012)

Outline of the lectures in

Constitutional law

• Lecture 1 (14.9): The Main Characteristics of

the Norwegian System of Government

• Lecture 2 (21.9): Norway and European

Integration – A Constitutional Perspective

• Lecture 3 (28.9): The Judiciary and Judicial

Review

• Lecture 4 (12.10): The protection of human

rights in Norwegian law.

The Main Characteristics of the

Norwegian System of Government

I. The separation of powers in Norway

(short summary)

II. The Parliament

III. The Executive

IV.Parliamentarism in Norway

V. Other aspects of the relationship between

Parliament and Government

I. The separation of powers

(maktfordelingen)

II. The Parliament

1. Elections

2. Composition

and

organisation

3. Functions

4. Procedures

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43625496@N00/76285775/ by

slugrubug

http://www.oslosurf.com/innhold/love_stortinget_flagg_w468.jpg

Eidsvold 1814. Kilde: stortinget.no

Stortingsarkivet/ foto: Teigens fotoatelier as

II. The Parliament

1. Elections

Mandatfordeling_stortingsvalget_2009.svg (wiki, røed)

169 MPs

(since 2005)

Political parties (2009)

1. Labour Party [AP] (64)

2. Progress Party [FrP] (41)

3. Conservative Party

[Høyre] (30)

4. Socialist Left Party [SV]

(11)

5. Center Party [Sp] (11)

6. Christian Democratic

Party [KrF] (10)

7. Liberal Party [V] (2)

II. The Parliament

1. Elections

Source: Wikipedia; Authors: Júlio Reis and João David

Tereso

II. The Parliament

2. Composition and organisation

a. Monocamerism: From two Chambers to one

b. The organisation of the Storting

• The Presidium (presidentskapet)

• The Standing Committees (12)

• Other committees (4)

• The administration of the Storting

• Parliamentary Party Groups

Stortingsarkivet/ foto: Teigens fotoatelier as.

II. The Parliament

2. Composition and organisation

The Presidium of the Storting (Source: stortinget.no)

The Standing Committees

• Business and Industry - Aasland, TerjeTerje Aasland, Labour

• Education, Research and Church Affairs - Aasen, MarianneMarianne

Aasen, Labour

• Energy and the Environment - Sande, ErlingErling Sande, Centre

• Family and Cultural Affairs - Gjul, Gunn KarinGunn Karin Gjul, Labour

• Finance and Economic Affairs - Micaelsen, TorgeirTorgeir Micaelsen,

Labour

• Foreign Affairs and Defence - Søreide, Ine Marie EriksenIne Marie Eriksen

Søreide, Conservative

• Health and Care Services - Høie, BentBent Høie, Conservative

• Justice - Sandberg, PerPer Sandberg, Progress

• Labour and Social Affairs - Eriksson, Robert- Robert Eriksson, Progress

• Local Government and Public Administration - Holmås, Heikki- Heikki

Holmås Socialist, Left

• Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs - Anundsen, Anders- Anders

Anundsen, Progress

• Transport and Communications - Hareide, Knut Arild- Knut Arild Hareide,

Christian Democratic

II. The Parliament

2. Composition and organisation

• The Enlarged Committee on Foreign Affairs consists of members of the

Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, the presidium and the

parliamentary leaders. The committee discusses important issues related to

foreign affairs, trade policy and national safety with the government.

Discussions are confidential.

• The European Committee consists of the members of the Standing

Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence and the parliamentary delegation

to the European Economic Area (EEA) and the European Free Trade Area

(EFTA). The committee conducts discussions with the government regarding

directives from the European Union.

• The Election Committee consists of 37 members, and is responsible for

internal elections within the parliament, as well as delegating and negotiating

party and representative allocation within the presidium, standing committees

and other committees.

• The Preparatory Credentials Committee has 16 members and is

responsible for approving the election.

II. The Parliament

3. Functions

The parliament has three main functions or powers:

– The legislative power

– The budgetary power

– The supervisory (control) power

Parliamentary delegations established by the Storting: • The Delegation for Arctic Cooperation

• The Delegation for Relations with the European Parliament

• The Delegation to EFTA and EEA Parliamentary Committees

• The Delegation to the Assembly of the Western European Union

• The Delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union

• The Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly

• The Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

• The Norwegian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

• The Storting's Delegation to the Nordic Council

II. The Parliament

4. Procedures

THE LEGISLATIVE PROCEDURE

1. The initiative stage

2. The proposition to the Storting (Bill)

3. The committee stage

4. Consideration in plenary session

1. First reading of the Bill

2. Second reading of the Bill

3. Eventual third reading of the Bill

5. The intervention of the King in Council

II. The Parliament – The legislative procedure (stortinget.no)

II. The Parliament

4. Procedures – The vote of the budget

1. The Government’s proposition

2. Party work on the fiscal budget

3. The Presidium’s task

4. The Budget Recommendation of the Standing

Committee on Finance

5. The annual budget debate in the Storting and the vote of

the Storting’s Resolution on budget ceilings

6. Work in standing committees

7. Debate and vote in the Storting of the final budget

resolution

III. The Executive

1. The “Executive”: The King and the Cabinet (Kongen og

regjeringen)

a. The King – The Head of State

b. The Cabinet / the Government

2. The administration (forvaltningen)

a. The central administration

b. The regional administration

3. A short overview of the “upstream” and “downstream”

functions of the Executive

a. “Upstream” functions

b. “Downstream” functions

c. Royal Prerogatives (kongelige prerogativer)

III. The Executive

1. The King

(Kongen)

King Harald V

Source:

http://www.kongehuset.no/aim/kongehuset/16/

54/storage/file.image.jpg/Scale?geometry=372

%3Ex454%3E

III: The Executive - 2. The Government

Government Stoltenberg II

Source: http://www.regjeringen.no/upload/SMK/Portrettbilde/regjeringen/Regjeringen-p%C3%A5-

Slottsplassen-20.10.09_540x270_fotoScanpix.jpg

Well known Norwegian Prime Ministers

EiNAR GERHARDSEN Ap Christoffer Gade Rude / Oslo

Museumhttp://digitaltmuseum.no/thing

s/portrett-mann-statsminister-

br/OMU/OB.RP08338e?pos=6

KÅRE WILLOCH H SGT MICHAEL W. TYLER

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il/DVIC_View/Still_Details.cf

m?SDAN=DFSC8311400&J

PGPath=/Assets/1983/Air_

Force/DF-SC-83-

11400.JPG

GRO HARLEM BRUNDTLAND Ap

Photo: Harry Wad

KJELL MAGNE BONDEVIK

KrF

Photo author: Bjarte Sørensen

THORBJØRN JAGLAND Ap

Photo author: Πρωθυπουργός της

Ελλάδας

III. The Executive – The Government

A. Composition

B. The Norwegian Council of State – The ”King in Council”

(Kongen i statsråd)

C. Government conferences (regjeringskonferanser) & the

Government’s Subcommittee (regjeringens underutvalg)

D. Documents published by the Government or the Ministries

• Draft resolutions and bills (Prop.)

• White papers (Meld.St.)

• [Acts and] regulations (forskrift)

• Circular (rundskriv)

• Norwegian Official Reports (NOU)

• Reports and plans

• Guidelines and brochures

III. The Executive

A. The ”upstream” functions

B. The ”downstream” functions

C. The royal prerogatives

We can distinguish between:

• Political prerogatives: articles 12, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25,

26 of the Constitution

• Personal prerogatives: articles 23, 24, 36 of the

Constitution.

IV. Parliamentarism in Norway

1. Negative parliamentarism in Norway

a. Positive parliamentarism

b. Negative parliamentarism

c. Minority parliamentarism

d. Majority parliamentarism

2. The main characteristics of Norwegian

parliamentarism before and after 2007/2009

3. Consequences

V. Other aspects of the relationship between

Parliament and Government

1. Parliamentary control or supervision of the

Executive: Other kinds of control

a. Debates

b. Questions and interpellations (spørsmål og interpellasjoner)

c. The Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs, and other

Standing Committees

d. The Office of the Auditor General (Riksrevisjonen)

e. The Parliamentary Ombudsman (Stortingets ombudsmann or

sivilombudsmann)

f. Review of treaties and cooperation agreements

g. Riksretten [ See Lecture 3.]

2. Delegated legislation