OSLO | Tue May 31, 2011 4:00am EDT
OSLO May 31 (Reuters) - European regulators seek to weaken Norway's ability to force oil companies to establish localised headquarters, chipping away at a pillar of Norway's oil policy aimed at regional job creation, a newspaper said on Tuesday.
The Aftenposten daily said the European Economic Area (EEA) Surveillance Authority has for two years sought to change the Norwegian regulations, which boost costs for oil producers by forcing them to set up local offices in areas near fields.
The policy has helped Arctic towns such as Hammerfest, where Statoil (STL.OL), France's Total (TOTF.PA) and GDF Suez (GSZ.PA), U.S. company Hess (HES.N) and German firm RWE Dea [RWEDE.UL] own a liquefied natural gas plant.
"The harsh reality is that companies may choose to engage from Oslo, Stavanger or an EU country if they wish, without the (Norwegian) government intervening," Aftenposten quoted lawyer Jon Oeyvind Eide Midthjell as saying.
Aftenposten said that the Norwegian oil ministry had sought to prevent a public debate on the subject, fearing it would upset local constituencies.
Norway is not in the European Union but as a member of the EEA it abides by the block's economic rules in exchange for access to its markets.
(Reporting by Wojciech Moskwa; editing by Jason Neely)
OSLO | Tue May 31, 2011 4:00am EDT
OSLO May 31 (Reuters) - European regulators seek to weaken Norway's ability to force oil companies to establish localised headquarters, chipping away at a pillar of Norway's oil policy aimed at regional job creation, a newspaper said on Tuesday.
The Aftenposten daily said the European Economic Area (EEA) Surveillance Authority has for two years sought to change the Norwegian regulations, which boost costs for oil producers by forcing them to set up local offices in areas near fields.
The policy has helped Arctic towns such as Hammerfest, where Statoil (STL.OL), France's Total (TOTF.PA) and GDF Suez (GSZ.PA), U.S. company Hess (HES.N) and German firm RWE Dea [RWEDE.UL] own a liquefied natural gas plant.
"The harsh reality is that companies may choose to engage from Oslo, Stavanger or an EU country if they wish, without the (Norwegian) government intervening," Aftenposten quoted lawyer Jon Oeyvind Eide Midthjell as saying.
Aftenposten said that the Norwegian oil ministry had sought to prevent a public debate on the subject, fearing it would upset local constituencies.
Norway is not in the European Union but as a member of the EEA it abides by the block's economic rules in exchange for access to its markets.
(Reporting by Wojciech Moskwa; editing by Jason Neely)
OSLO | Tue May 31, 2011 4:00am EDT
OSLO May 31 (Reuters) - European regulators seek to weaken Norway's ability to force oil companies to establish localised headquarters, chipping away at a pillar of Norway's oil policy aimed at regional job creation, a newspaper said on Tuesday.
The Aftenposten daily said the European Economic Area (EEA) Surveillance Authority has for two years sought to change the Norwegian regulations, which boost costs for oil producers by forcing them to set up local offices in areas near fields.
The policy has helped Arctic towns such as Hammerfest, where Statoil (STL.OL), France's Total (TOTF.PA) and GDF Suez (GSZ.PA), U.S. company Hess (HES.N) and German firm RWE Dea [RWEDE.UL] own a liquefied natural gas plant.
"The harsh reality is that companies may choose to engage from Oslo, Stavanger or an EU country if they wish, without the (Norwegian) government intervening," Aftenposten quoted lawyer Jon Oeyvind Eide Midthjell as saying.
Aftenposten said that the Norwegian oil ministry had sought to prevent a public debate on the subject, fearing it would upset local constituencies.
Norway is not in the European Union but as a member of the EEA it abides by the block's economic rules in exchange for access to its markets.
(Reporting by Wojciech Moskwa; editing by Jason Neely)
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