COUNTRY PROFILE

NORWAY Last profile update: May 2011

This profile was prepared and updated by Mr. Per MANGSET and Mr. Bård KLEPPE (Bø). It is based on official and non-official sources addressing current cultural policy issues. The opinions expressed in this profile are those of the author and are not official statements of the government or of the Compendium editors. Additional national cultural policy profiles are available on:

http://www.culturalpolicies.net

If the entire profile or relevant parts of it are reproduced in print or in electronic form including in a translated version, for whatever purpose, a specific request has to be addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe who may authorise the reproduction in consultation with ERICarts. Such reproduction must be accompanied by the standard reference below, as well as by the name of the author of the profile. Standard Reference: Council of Europe/ERICarts: "Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe", 13th edition 2012. Available from World Wide Web: .

NORWAY1 1.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: CULTURAL POLICIES AND INSTRUMENTS ........................................................................................................... 2

2.

GENERAL OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES OF CULTURAL POLICY ........ 4

2.1 Main features of the current cultural policy model ........................................................ 4 2.2 National definition of culture ......................................................................................... 4 2.3 Cultural policy objectives ............................................................................................... 4 3.

COMPETENCE, DECISION MAKING AND ADMINISTRATION .................... 5

3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4

Organisational structure (organigram) ........................................................................... 5 Overall description of the system ................................................................................... 6 Inter-ministerial or intergovernmental cooperation........................................................ 7 International cultural cooperation .................................................................................. 8

4.

CURRENT ISSUES IN CULTURAL POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND DEBATE...................................................................................................................... 13

4.1 Main cultural policy issues and priorities ..................................................................... 13 4.2 Specific policy issues and recent debates ..................................................................... 13 4.3 Other relevant issues and debates ................................................................................. 23 5.

MAIN LEGAL PROVISIONS IN THE CULTURAL FIELD .............................. 24

5.1 General legislation ........................................................................................................ 24 5.2 Legislation on culture ................................................................................................... 26 5.3 Sector specific legislation ............................................................................................. 27 6.

FINANCING OF CULTURE .................................................................................... 29

6.1 Short overview ............................................................................................................. 29 6.2 Public cultural expenditure ........................................................................................... 29 6.3 Trends and indicators for private cultural financing .................................................... 31 7.

PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS IN CULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE ...................... 32

7.1 Cultural infrastructure: tendencies & strategies ........................................................... 32 7.2 Basic data about selected public institutions in the cultural sector .............................. 32 7.3 Status and partnerships of public cultural institutions.................................................. 32 8.

PROMOTING CREATIVITY AND PARTICIPATION ....................................... 34

8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4

Support to artists and other creative workers ............................................................... 34 Cultural consumption and participation ....................................................................... 35 Arts and cultural education........................................................................................... 38 Amateur arts, cultural associations and civil initiatives ............................................... 39

9.

SOURCES AND LINKS ............................................................................................ 41

9.1 Key documents on cultural policy ................................................................................ 42 9.2 Key organisations and portals ...................................................................................... 43

1

This profile was prepared by Sigrid Røyseng and Per Mangset and updated by Bård Kleppe. Last profile update: May 2011.

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-1

Norway

1.

Historical perspective: cultural policies and instruments

In 1814, Norway gained its freedom from Denmark, established its Constitution and founded its national assembly – the Storting. In that same year, Sweden invaded Norway and the Norwegians were forced to accept a peace treaty which created a union with Sweden under the Swedish king. Norway kept its new constitution (with some amendments) and the Norwegian parliament. The union was finally dissolved in 1905 when Norway became an independent country. Although some schemes for the public support of cultural and artistic activities and institutions were established in the 19th century and the first part of the 20th century (i.e. artists' scholarships, public support for libraries, art education, museums and theatres), a cultural policy has only become a distinct policy domain in Norway from the Second World War and thereafter. From the 1930s onwards, the welfare ideology gradually gained a foothold as the main rationale for the Norwegian policy system in general, which was also applied to the cultural domain. The welfare model was not solely due to financial limitations before the end of the war period. During the war, the German occupants and the Nasjonal Samling, a national socialistic party in power from 1940 to 1945, established the Ministry of Cultural and Public Educational Affairs, which was responsible for a distinct part of the state budget. The war time cultural policy was formulated by the controlling regime as a tool for the political propaganda of the German occupants. During the post-war period, a considerable emphasis was laid on the democratisation of culture. Arts and culture were then considered as both an important measure for the welfare of the entire population and as a useful tool for public education. In order to democratise culture, the state established important arts institutions with a nationwide function, one for theatre The Norwegian National Touring Theatre - in 1949, one for the visual arts – National Touring Exhibitions - in 1953 and one for music – Rikskonsertene / The Norwegian Concert Institute – in 1958. In addition, the National Opera was established in 1957. In the period from the pre-war years to the early 1960s, the number of publications within Norwegian fiction fell substantially, with this situation contributing to the foundation of the Arts Council Norway in 1965. In order to defend the Norwegian culture and language, one of the main responsibilities of the Council was to administer a scheme for purchasing new Norwegian publications. Although the state gave a small number of artist stipends from the 1830s, a significant range of support schemes for artists was only introduced during the 1960s. During the 1970s, major efforts were made to decentralise the cultural policy and administration system in Norway. Cultural affairs committees were established in most municipalities, and the municipal authorities gradually appointed directors and secretaries of cultural affairs. A similar system was developed at the county level, and new grant schemes were introduced. In this way, substantial responsibilities were decentralised in order to bring decision-making closer to the general population. Closely linked to this reform was a redefinition of culture, which was also taking place in other countries. The concept of culture was extended in order to include the cultural interests of various parts of the population, which incorporated a renewed interest for amateur cultural activities. In addition, sport was included in the concept of culture. The more traditional elements of Norwegian cultural life also received financial support from the public authorities during the 1970s. A new Libraries Act was adopted in 1971, a new grant scheme for institutional theatres was established in 1972 and a new decentralised grant scheme for museums was introduced in 1975. As the result of a white paper presented to the Storting in 1978, artists were granted the right to negotiate with the central government and improved schemes were developed in this field. The most important element of this arrangement was the N-2

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway guaranteed income scheme, which currently provides for more than 500 artists, the majority of whom are visual artists and crafts people. While the public culture budgets had expanded considerably during the post-war period, the stagnation of economic development resulted in more focus being placed on efficiency and retrenchment during the 1980s and 1990s. However, cultural expenses, not least at the municipality level, increased significantly in the 1980s. In 2005, the government proclaimed that one of their most important ambitions was to increase the share of the state budget allocated to culture from 0.8% to 1% over the next ten years. This ambition has more or less been achieved, although experts in the cultural field have questioned the accuracy of the figures calculated to plan for this increase. For a long period of time, cultural policy issues on the state level were administered by the Ministry of Church and Education Affairs. However, in 1982 a Ministry of Cultural and Scientific Affairs was established and the Ministry changed its name to the Ministry of Church and Cultural Affairs in 1990. From 1991 until 2001, Norway had a Ministry of Cultural Affairs that was responsible for culture, media and sport. From 2002 until 2010, church affairs were once again merged with cultural affairs. The Ministry of Culture no longer deals with church affairs, but instead incorporates sport and media issues.

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-3

Norway

2.

General objectives and principles of cultural policy

2.1

Main features of the current cultural policy model

The Norwegian cultural policy model cannot be characterised as an archetype of any of the classical cultural policy models, such as the arms-length model, the interventionist model, the entrepreneurship model or the decentralised model. Instead, it contains elements of all of the models, excluding the entrepreneurship model. In the Norwegian model, the public authorities have played a considerable role in the culture sector, not least by giving financial support to a range of cultural and artistic activities. The relationship between the public authorities and the culture sector can be characterised by the terms of corporatism on the one hand and the arms-length principle on the other. While artists' organisations have played a crucial role in the administration of some public support schemes for artists, the work of the Arts Council is based on a relatively autonomous position vis-à-vis both the government and the field of art. However, the corporate element of the Norwegian cultural policy model seems to have declined over the past two decades, although it is more significant than in many other countries.

2.2

National definition of culture

The latest white paper on culture (2003) maintains that the meaning of "culture" has changed historically due to the purpose and context of its use. This white paper placed an emphasis on the need for a concept of culture to be sufficiently open to the changes of society, particularly those taking place in the area of arts and culture. While the understanding of "culture" within cultural policy has so far been closely linked to nation building and welfare policy, the white paper maintains that globalisation and individualisation require a concept of culture that can cope with the diversity and complexity of contemporary culture. Thus, the paper underscores that culture should mainly be understood in terms of processes rather than as an isolated system. It also mentions that some cultural activities previously considered to be outside the area of governmental responsibility have been included in the cultural policy system during the last ten years. Support schemes for jazz, rock music and similar music forms have been established. Even if the expanded concept of "culture" is not mentioned explicitly, it is still central to the operational level of cultural policy.

2.3

Cultural policy objectives

The main objectives of the Norwegian cultural policy are to promote: • • •

artistic quality and innovation; the preservation and security of the cultural heritage; and the dissemination of rich and diverse cultural facilities to the entire population.

The objectives of Norwegian cultural policy generally remain stable in character, and there are few controversies about these objectives in public debates.

N-4

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway

3.

Competence, decision making and administration

3.1

Organisational structure (organigram)

Expert bodies/arm’s length organisations State level -Arts Council Norway - Government Grants and Guaranteed Income for Artists -Norwegian Film Fund -Norwegian Film Institute -The Norwegian Language Council - The National Council for Folk Costume -The Norwegian Institute of Local History -Norwegian Film Development, the National Archives of Norway -The National Library of Norway -The National Foundation for Art in Public Buildings -Museum of Archaeology – Stavanger -Rikskonsertene (The Norwegian Concert Institute) -Norwegian Media Authority -The Norwegian Gaming and Foundation Authority

Regional level

Local level

Administrative level

Government – Minister of Culture

Ministry of Culture

Political-elected level

Interest organisations/ trade unions

Parliament (the Storting) The Standing Committee on Family and Cultural Affairs

Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Education and Research, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other ministries

-Norwegian Actors' Equity Association -The National Association for Performing Arts -Norwegian Association of Visual Artists -The Norwegian Association of Arts and Crafts -Norwegian Authors' Union - Norwegian Film Workers' Association -Norwegian Playwrights' Association -Norwegian Association of Literary Translators -Norwegian Society of Composers -Recording Artists' Association and others

County Administration

County Council

Culture Unit (often together with regional development)

Culture committees, separate for culture or integrated with other areas

Municipality Administration

Municipality Council

Culture Unit, often together with business, education, etc.

Culture committees, separate for culture or integrated with other areas

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-5

Norway

3.2

Overall description of the system

Similar to the other Nordic countries, the Norwegian cultural policy is both centralised and decentralised. On the one hand, the basis for cultural policy is mostly provided by the state, although considerable responsibilities for the shaping and implementation of cultural policy are delegated to local and regional authorities. The national and municipal levels are the most important with respect to cultural expenditures, with the regional level playing only a modest role. At the state level, the decision-making apparatus is relatively complex. Considerable authority is centred in the political and administrative body of the Parliament, the government and the Ministries. Formally, the main framework of cultural policy is determined by the Storting (the parliament), while the Ministry of Culture prepares documents for the Storting. All legal, financial, organisational and information means are applied in order to achieve political goals. However, the state budget is the most important instrument, with the Ministry of Culture maintaining the responsibility for a total budget of approximately NOK 8.4 billion (2011). The Ministry also administers gaming profits from Norsk Tipping AS, which are allocated to culture (36.5%) and sports (45.5%). The total profit in 2010 was NOK 3.9 billion. The Ministry also implements political resolutions passed by the Storting and supervises the activities of subordinate enterprises; public organisations in the culture field and independent institutions receive public grants. Other Ministries concerned with cultural affairs are the Ministry of the Environment, which is responsible for cultural heritage (except museums, archives and libraries) and cultural environments. The Ministry of Education and Research is responsible for education, including artists' education, as well as music and culture schools for children. The culture schools primarily offer school age children courses in music, visual arts, dance and theatre. The Ministry of Education and Research is also responsible for academic libraries and university museums. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been given the responsibility for the presentation of Norwegian arts and culture abroad, including exchange projects with developing countries. Other ministries are also relevant to cultural policy, but play a more modest role. The Ministry of Finance plays a coordinating role in the budgetary process. The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development directs attention to the role of culture in regional development. The Ministry of Trade and Industry has the responsibility for governing all types of business in Norway, including a role in the development of the various culture industries. The Ministry of Government Administration and Reform develops governmental strategies on information technology and competition policy. A considerable amount of authority is also delegated to arms length institutions and expert bodies. Arts Council Norway is formally administered and financed by the Ministry of Culture, but it retains a largely independent position and is therefore characterised as an arms length institution. Each year, the Storting provides an overall allocation to the Cultural Fund, which is administered by Arts Council Norway as one of its principal tasks. In addition, the Arts Council acts in an advisory capacity to the central government and public sector on cultural affairs, as well as organising experimental cultural activities in areas which the Council considers to be of particular interest. The Norwegian Archive, Library and Museum Authority was established in 2003 as a strategic expert body for the development of the three sectors involved. The principal tasks of the Authority are to promote the coordination, effectiveness and strengths of the archive, library and museum field. Similar to Arts Council Norway, the Authority administers a budget, both for its own activities and for projects implemented by other actors in the field. In addition, the Authority served in an advisory capacity to the Ministry. On 1 January 2011, the Norwegian Archive, Library and Museum Authority was phased out and the N-6

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway tasks split up. The National Archival Services of Norway is now responsible for the archival-tasks, the National Library of Norway is responsible for the library-tasks, and the Arts Council Norway is responsible for the museum-tasks. After this consolidation, the Arts Council has also been reorganised. The Norwegian Film Fund is responsible for administering all national support for film production in Norway. According to its statutes, the Film Fund shall also advise the Ministry for Cultural on film policy. Other expert bodies such as The Norwegian Language Council, The National Council for Folk Costume, The Norwegian Institute of Local History, Norwegian Film Development, The National Foundation for Art in Public Buildings, Fond for Lyd og Bilde (Fund for Sound and Pictures) and Government Grants and Guaranteed Income for Artists hold administrative, advisory, coordinative and development responsibilities in their own fields. National institutions such as the National Archive Service of Norway, the National Library of Norway, the Norwegian Film Institute, the Museum of Archaeology – Stavanger, the Norwegian Library of Talking Books and Braille, the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, the Norwegian National Touring Theatre and The Norwegian Concert Institute (Rikskonsertene) are responsible for the administration of collections and the production of cultural facilities. In contrast to the other institutions mentioned, the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design is organised as a foundation outside the public administrative system. All counties and almost all municipalities established cultural boards and administrations during the 1970s. These are independent regional and local cultural administrations responsible to the county and municipal councils. In the 1990s, a general reorganisation process was started at the local political and administrative level. A number of independent cultural administrations disappeared, or became integrated into other areas of municipal activity, e.g. education and trade and industry. The consequences of this trend are not clear, and it has not been a subject for deliberation since the 1990s. The responsibilities of local and regional authorities include self-defined initiatives and subsidies for regional cultural activities and subsidies for regional institutions, which are partly state-funded and regulated by formal agreements on a shared responsibility.

3.3

Inter-ministerial or intergovernmental cooperation

The cooperation and coordination between different ministries are primarily dealt with according to the character of the actual matters, although some arrangements hold a more permanent inter-ministeral, cooperating structure: The Cultural Rucksack is a joint initiative between the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education and Research that was established in 2001. The Cultural Rucksack provides all pupils in elementary secondary schools with arts and culture such as music, dramatic arts, literature, cultural heritage, dance performances, visual arts etc. The initiative is primarily administrated by the counties in cooperation between the culture and education divisions. At state level, the programme is administrated by a secretary located at the Arts Council, but the steering committee includes members from both ministries. Music Export Norway is an umbrella organisation promoting Norwegian music abroad. The organisation is an NGO working according to the arms length principle, though it receives support from both the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-7

Norway

3.4

International cultural cooperation

3.4.1 Overview of main structures and trends The responsibility for international cultural cooperation is divided between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for the presentation of Norwegian arts and culture abroad, including exchange projects with developing countries, in cooperation with cultural institutions funded by the Ministry of Culture. The Norwegian Foreign Service missions play a key role in establishing and administering cultural cooperation with other countries. The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), which is a directorate under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is also involved in international cultural projects and provides assistance for culture, media and information activities. The Ministry of Culture is responsible for multilateral cultural cooperation, as well as for the importation of culture from abroad. 3.4.2 Public actors and cultural diplomacy The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Norwegian Foreign Service, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and the Ministry of Culture are responsible for cultural cooperation with other countries. State-funded institutions and professional organisations particularly aim at stimulating artistic exchange and promoting Norwegian artists and works of art, not least through the administration of specific grant schemes. The following organisations administer support programmes on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: •

•

•

•

N-8

The Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA) was founded by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2001. The main aim of OCA is to develop collaborations in contemporary art between Norway and the international art scene. OCA supports Norwegian contributions to major exhibitions abroad, the international activities of Norwegian artists and curators, and foreign curators and critics who wish to carry out research in Norway. Music Information Centre Norway (MIC) is the Norwegian section of the International Association of Music Information Centres – IAMIC, which organises 43 similar centres in 38 countries. MIC's goal is to promote the increased use of Norwegian music both nationally and internationally. MIC administers the Ministry of Foreign Affair's tour support programme in order to facilitate the international touring activities of Norwegian artists and bands. NORLA – Norwegian Literature Abroad, Fiction and Non-fiction (NORLA) plays an important role in providing information on Norwegian literature and Norwegian authors of fiction and non-fiction. NORLA facilitates contact between Norwegian authors and publishers, translators, universities and others interested in Norwegian literature abroad. In addition, NORLA provides translation subsidies to publishers of Norwegian literature abroad, offers travel grants for Norwegian authors and their translators and provides promotional subsidies for sample translations and presentations of authors. The Norwegian Association for Performing Arts (DTS) works to facilitate independent theatre and dance activity in Norway. DTS administers the Ministry of Foreign Affair's tour support programme in this field.

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway •

• •

The Norwegian Association of Arts and Crafts is the national organisation for professional practicing artists, whose task is to administer the grant scheme for the activities of crafts artists abroad. The Foundation for Design and Architecture in Norway (Norsk Form) is working to promote and support architects holding exhibitions or lectures abroad. The Norwegian Film Institute (NFI) works to preserve, support and distribute Norwegian and foreign films so that film as an expression of art and culture becomes more visible. The NFI also distributes and markets Norwegian films abroad and administers the Ministry of Foreign Affair's support programme for the promotion of Norwegian films.

3.4.3 European / international actors and programmes Multilateral cooperation in the cultural field includes Norwegian participation in the activities of international organisations such as: Nordic Cooperation Multilateral cooperation in the cultural field includes Norwegian participation in the activities of international organisations such as The Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers. The Nordic Council was formed in 1952 and is the forum for Nordic parliamentary cooperation. Since then, cultural cooperation has been the core component of intra-Nordic cooperation. The Nordic Council of Ministers, which was formed in 1971, is the forum for Nordic governmental cooperation. Culture is defined as one of the major areas for cooperation. In 2005, a new structure for cultural cooperation was proposed and prepared. The aim was to add more energy, visibility and new working methods to Nordic cultural cooperation and to add more focus to the national contributions. The reform was passed by the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2006 and implemented in 2007. The overall aim of the reform was to allocate more money for projects, while spending fewer resources on administration. One of the main structural changes was the establishment of Culture Contact North, which replaced the former expert committees in literature, music, visual arts, performing arts, culture and media, youth cooperation, children and culture, as stated below. The reform also implied that the following cultural institutions were to be closed down on 1 January 2007: Nordiskt Center för Scenekonst - NordScen, Nordisk Institut för Samtidskonst - NIFCA, Nordiska musikkommittéen - NOMUS, Nordiska litteratur- och bibliotekskommittéen - NordBok. Reform of the Nordic cultural cooperation was evaluated in 2010 (The evaluation can be downloaded here (http://www.tmforsk.no/mediafiler/fil.asp?id=1170) . In order to give the culture and media sector in the Nordic region more opportunities to work together, the Ministries of Culture have set up three new programmes: •

•

The Mobility and Residential Programme is an important part of the new structure for Nordic cultural cooperation. The programme focuses on mobility for artists and professionals within the field of culture, network building and artists in residence. One of the aims of the programme is to open doors for the arts inside and outside the Nordic countries and to contribute to strengthening the role of professionals within the field of culture. The Programme for Nordic Art and Cultural Cooperation is a three-year framework programme for Nordic art and cultural cooperation which is open to professional and

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-9

Norway

•

creative artists, agents, producers and cultural players from all the art and cultural sectors. The overall objective of the Art and Culture Programme is development, including new interpretations, renewal and innovative methods and presentations. The programme aims to renew and revitalise Nordic art and cultural cooperation internally within the Nordic region and through interplay in "the Nordic Region in the world – the world in the Nordic Region", to stimulate new impulses and initiatives in the field, including local, national and international players, organisations and institutions, to firmly establish Nordic art and cultural cooperation in the Nordic countries and adjacent areas and make this cooperation noticed globally. The Nordic Computer Game Programme (2006-2012) aims to stimulate the Nordic computer game industry to produce a higher quality and wider offering of computer games produced in the Nordic countries for children and young people. The Nordic Computer Game Programme aims to ensure an effective Nordic infrastructure for developers, producers and distributors of computer games. The programme will coordinate joint Nordic activities and ensure a greater exchange of information and improved industry know-how.

The Nordic Culture Fund (Nordisk Kulturfond) is a Nordic body of cooperation whose task is to support cultural cooperation in a broad sense among the Nordic countries. The Nordic Culture Fund awards approximately DKK 25 million every year to cultural projects in the Nordic Region or to Nordic projects outside the Nordic Region. The projects that are supported reflect the entire spectrum of cultural life and involve all areas, including visual art, theatre, music and dance, literature and new media. Education, research and transsector projects are also supported, although these projects must have a clear connection to art and culture. Projects that can receive support from the Fund must include at least three Nordic countries or autonomous areas (the Faroe Islands, Greenland and the Aaland Islands). Every year, the Nordic Council awards a literature prize, a music prize, a film prize and a nature and environment prize. Each prize is worth DKK 350 000. •

•

•

The Nordic Council's Literature Prize is awarded for a work of imaginative literature written in one of the Nordic languages. The intention of the prize is also to increase interest in the literature of neighbouring countries, as well as in Nordic cultural fellowship. The Nordic Council's Music Prize recognises creative and practical musicians of a high artistic standard. The prize is awarded to a piece of music by a living composer and to a small or large ensemble of high artistic and technical standards. The prize was launched as early as 1965, and was originally awarded every third year. In 2005, the Nordic Council established the annual Nordic Council Film Prize, which is awarded to scriptwriters, directors and producers. The criteria for winning the prize is the creation of an artistically original film rooted in Nordic cultural circles.

Further information on Nordic cultural cooperation is available at http://www.norden.org/. European Union Although not a member of the EU, Norway is closely associated with the European Union through the Agreement on the European Economic Area, which also encompasses cultural cooperations. Norway takes part in relevant programmes such as: •

The European Union Culture Programme (2007-2013), which is a continuation and expansion of the Culture 2000 Programme (2000-2006). The general objective of the programme is to enhance the cultural area common to Europeans through the development of cultural institutions of the countries taking part in the programme, with a view to encouraging the emergence of European citizenship. Arts Council Norway is

N-10

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway

•

•

•

the official European Cultural Contact Point in Norway, which means that the Arts Council is responsible for promoting the programme and facilitating the participation of as many cultural professionals as possible. MEDIA 2007 (2007-2013) aims to strengthen the competitiveness of the European audiovisual industry in the international market. Through various support schemes, the programme promotes European cultural diversity and European film heritage, facilitates access to the films for European citizens and promotes intercultural dialogue. Safer Internet Plus, which promotes the safe use of the internet by children and youth. Norway, has participated since 2003. Based on economic support from the programme, the Norwegian Media Authority has established a project called SAFT. The principal task of SAFT is to be the national coordinator of the work for the safe use of digital media among children and youth in Norway. The Information and Communications Technologies Policy Support Programme aims to make digital content in Europe more accessible, usable and exploitable.

The Council of Europe Norway is one of the ten countries that established the Council of Europe in 1949 and has been a member of the European Cultural Convention – the basic document which regulates the cultural cooperation between the member states – since 1956. Norway takes part in the cultural cooperation of the Council of Europe in the Steering Committee for Culture. UNESCO Norway is a member of UNESCO and has participated in the international work for the protection and promotion of cultural diversity, including the Convention on the Promotion and Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, which was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO in October 2005. Norway ratified the Convention in January 2007. At the same time, Norway also ratified another UNESCO Convention – the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The International Network on Cultural Policy (INCP) Norway has been a member of the INCP since 1999 and has been active in the working group on Cultural Diversity and Globalisation that elaborated the framework and scope of a cultural diversity instrument, which has been developed and is now carried out by UNESCO. 3.4.4 Direct professional cooperation A number of art institutions, cultural organisations and festivals habitually engage in international cooperation through co-productions or by providing a platform for international arts events. In the spring of 2007, the Norwegian National Opera reached an agreement with the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London on a co-production of Giuseppe Verdi's "Don Carlos". The intention is to formalise the cooperation on a permanent basis. BIT Teatergarasjen (BIT) is another example. BIT co-produces and presents international and Norwegian contemporary art, theatre and dance, with specific emphasis on projects that stimulate international coproduction and co-operation between different fields of art. BIT cooperates with theatres and producers in several European countries.

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-11

Norway 3.4.5 Cross-border intercultural dialogue and cooperation Programmes to support trans-national intercultural dialogue are primarily the responsibility of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD). MFA and NORAD support projects that promote intercultural dialogue and cooperation. Rikskonsertene (The Norwegian Concert Institute), which is a governmental dissemination institution for music, is one of the most experienced Norwegian institutions on international cooperation in the field of culture. Rikskonsertene is engaged in a range of diverse international music projects, mainly in close cooperation with MFA and NORAD. Rikskonsertene operates specific programmes and projects abroad such as exchange programmes for musical artists and long-term development programmes, with priority given to initiatives contributing to cultural diversity. Rikskonsertene is linked to a number of international organisations and networks such as: the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA); the European Forum of World Music Festivals (EFWMF), the International Society for Music Education (ISME), the Europe Jazz Network (EJN) and the Nordic Network for School Concerts (NNS). 3.4.6 Other relevant issues Information is currently not available.

N-12

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway

4.

Current issues in cultural policy development and debate

4.1

Main cultural policy issues and priorities

The present government has proclaimed that one of its most important ambitions is to increase the share of the state budget allocated to culture from 0.8% in 2005 to 1% by 2014. In particular, the film industry, museums, rock music, opera and dance have been prioritised in recent budgets. The expansion of the budget has not been contested in public debate. At the Storting (the Parliament), it is only the Progressive Party that has markedly protested against the budget expansion. There are few indications that the financial crisis has had a particular effect on Norwegian cultural policy. The state budgets allocated to culture are still growing. Nevertheless, there are no recent statistics on participation in cultural activity that may indicate a fall in private consumption.

4.2

Specific policy issues and recent debates

4.2.1 Conceptual issues of policies for the arts One of the most conspicuous issues under debate has been the location and organisation of art museums. In February 2009, the minister of culture announced the establishment of a new building for the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design located by the sea in Oslo. This implies that several museums will have to be moved from where they have been located for several years. Because of this, The National Gallery (an art museum) will be relocated from the place it has been for more than 130 years. At the same time, the establishment of a new building housing the Munch Museum and the Stenersen Museum near the new opera house has created debate around urban development, architecture, physical frameworks for the exhibitions and the economy. In addition to this, the relocation of the Viking Ship Museum has caused a major concern about whether the Viking ships will be able to handle the strain of moving. 4.2.2 Heritage issues and policies There have been some major reforms in the field of cultural heritage over the last few years, as several merger processes and coordination initiatives have taken place. In 2003, the Norwegian Archive, Library and Museum Authority was established following a merger of the Norwegian Directorate for Public Libraries, the Norwegian Museum Authority and the National Office for Research Documentation, Academic and Special Libraries. Public authorities maintain that archives, libraries and museums (ALM) have played an important role in democracy and in promoting social inclusion since they select, preserve and facilitate the use of various sources of knowledge and information. The merger has partly been legitimised by the fact that the majority of such sources extends across all of the ALM institutions and includes art, sound, photography, film, archival material and literature. Furthermore, it is emphasized that the common interests of the three constituent sectors have been strengthened by the use of information and communication technology (ICT), and that ICT provides simplified access to various types of sources, including across traditional sector boundaries. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Culture decided to phase out The Norwegian Archive, Library and Museum Authority in 2010 and split up the tasks. Since 1 January 2011, the National Archival Services of Norway has been responsible for the archival tasks, the Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-13

Norway National Library of Norway has been responsible for the library tasks, and the Arts Council Norway has been responsible for the museum tasks. A museum reform (2001-2008) that aims to reduce the number of museum units at the regional level and to strengthen the existing units professionally and administratively has also led to a public debate. The process, which is often termed "consolidation", has focused on mergers between museums in the same regions and on the establishment of national networks. While this process has been substantiated by the importance of professionally and administratively strong museum units, critics have warned that this could result in isomorphism and the loss of local autonomy in the museum sector. Another question of current interest concerning the museum sector is whether a system of free admission to museums should replace the current ticket system. Regarding archive issues, the latest white paper on culture (2003) stressed that the development strategy in the archive sector should focus on retention and providing access to a broader range of archives. It underscored that this was necessary in order to facilitate a complete documentation of social development, that this required a better balance between governmental, municipal and private archives and that the public and private sectors must be viewed in relation to each other to a greater extent. Following the latest white paper on culture, one of the main goals for the development of the library sector was to facilitate a "seamless" library service, which in practice means that optimum user access through nationally coordinated information resources must be an important principle for centralised development activities across institutional and other administrative borders. 4.2.3 Cultural / creative industries: policies and programmes The concept of cultural and creative industries does not have a long tradition in Norway. However, in recent years there has been more attention drawn to culture and its potential for economic growth, not least in the political rhetoric. In 2007, the Ministry of Trade and Industry released a plan of action for culture and business in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development. Innovation Norway, the state-owned company that promotes industrial development, has also put more attention on the cultural industry in recent years, and now considers this as one of their areas of commitment. Both the government and Innovation Norway particularly focus on the film, book and music industries. FILM INDUSTRY It is seen as one of the government's main responsibilities to ensure that in a small country such as Norway there should be a range of films and other audio-visual products that reflect its history, culture and language. There is also a need for quality products to provide an alternative to the violent computer games that are currently available on the market. The latest white paper on culture lists the main priority as the provision of a good, diversified supply of Norwegian audio-visual media. In order to achieve this, the white paper states that it is necessary to provide comprehensive state support for films and other audio-visual media. Moreover, it highlights the importance of ensuring that children have access to high quality audio-visual products, especially computer games. The film industry is currently a priority sector for cultural policy in Norway. The scope of the support schemes established for this sector was increased in the annual state budget for 2005. The purpose of the support schemes for film is to secure a qualitative and diverse supply of Norwegian audio-visual products. The Film Fund, which is charged with administering all national support for film production in Norway, operates eight different N-14

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway schemes, e.g. support for the production of feature-length films, short films, minority coproductions, television series and interactive productions. The Film Fund also administers development support for film production companies, and administers support for films based on commercial criteria and a debated scheme of Box Office Bonuses. The latter scheme allows for automatic support in proportion to ticket sales. The Box Office Bonuses are awarded automatically to any film that is distributed theatrically in Norway, which currently stands at 55% of ticket revenues until the ceiling amount is reached (100% for children's films). The ceiling on Box Office Bonuses is calculated in relation to the producer's investment and risk. While this scheme has enhanced the income potential for certain film makers, the scheme has also been criticised for promoting more commercial and conformist film production at the expense of experimental films. BOOK INDUSTRY The main categories of instruments in the literature sector are exemptions from outgoing VAT, purchasing schemes and a library network. During the last few years there have been public debates about a sector agreement for the book trade between the Norwegian Booksellers Association and the Norwegian Publishers Association, which means that there are fixed prices on books in Norway. The agreement relies on an exemption from the competition rules that the authorities have approved. One of the reasons for such an exemption is that the agreement has been perceived as important in order to ensure a decentralised network of bookstores throughout the country as the most important channel for disseminating Norwegian literature. Until 2005, one of the most important provisions of the agreement was related to the sole right of bookstores to sell books to primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school pupils, as well as the rule whereby the price of books had to be fixed in the year of publication and the following year. While the competition authorities have wanted to remove or radically modify the "book agreement" for the last two decades, the publishing and bookseller sector was keen to prolong the agreement in its original form. In 2005, a new agreement with some modifications came into operation. The new agreement also relies on exemptions from the competition rules, although the element of free competition is more strongly emphasised than before. Among other things, this means that the booksellers' sector no longer has a monopoly on selling schoolbooks. In recent years, there has been a lot of debate concerning VAT on e-books. From 1 July 2011, there will be VAT on foreign e-books sold to Norway. The Ministry of Finance also wants to implement VAT on Norwegian e-books, but both writers and publishers have argued against this. MUSIC INDUSTRY Music has always been a prioritised art form in the Norwegian cultural policy, but there are no clear-cut distinctions between ordinary, artistic-based support and support for music with commercial potential. A wide range of popular music festivals and arenas get public support and there are support schemes for musicians in most genres. Nevertheless, in recent years the government has focused quite a bit on the commercial potential of music, especially on exporting music. Both the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Trade have supported Norwegian music export. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports musicians touring abroad as part of the Support programmes for international art and culture collaboration. Every year, the Norwegian government invites foreign journalists, experts and representatives of the music industry to the annual music conference By:Larm, which is an arena for promoting Norwegian groups and artists.

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-15

Norway 4.2.4 Cultural diversity and inclusion policies In Norway, the Sàmi are recognised as an indigenous people and Jews, Kvens (people of Finnish descent living in the North), Roma (Gypsies), the Romani People and Skogfins (people of Finnish descent living in the south eastern part of the country) are recognised as national minorities. The overall aim of the Norwegian government, regarding both the Sàmi and the national minorities, is to develop and complete a policy in accordance with the international duties of Norway and the duties found in the Norwegian laws and existing political resolutions. The majority of the Sàmi people (about two-thirds, 40 000 people) live in Norway. The basis of the Norwegian government's Sàmi policy is found in the Constitution and the Act on the Sàmi People. In addition, Norway has ratified the Convention of the ILO. The overall aim of the Norwegian government's Sàmi policy is to facilitate the safeguarding of the Sàmi people to help them develop and maintain their own language, culture and social life. The Sàmi people have their own parliament – Sàmediggi – which is responsible for Sàmi issues, and is an independent institution elected by the Sàmi. The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) has a special department – Sàmi Radio – that produces and broadcasts programmes in Sàmi on radio and television. Some of the municipalities in the northern part of the country are defined as an administrative area for the Sàmi language. From an educational context, it is maintained that the culture and traditions of the Sàmi community are a part of the common Norwegian and Nordic culture, and are included in both the national curriculum and the special Sàmi curriculum. In the areas defined as Sàmi districts, and according to specific criteria elsewhere in Norway, education is provided in accordance with the special Sàmi curriculum. For Sàmi pupils, this education is intended to build a sense of security in relation to the pupils' own culture and to develop Sàmi language and identity, as well as equipping Sàmi pupils to take an active role in the community and enabling them to acquire an education at all levels. State support is provided for the development of textbooks written in the Sàmi language. To safeguard the rights of cultural minorities, Norway has ratified the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities with the Council of Europe. In the last white paper on cultural minorities (2000), the government clarified that it will work for a society that facilitates cultural minorities to express, maintain and develop their identity, both in their own minority group and when interacting with the rest of society. While earlier assimilation policies have led to the encroachment of cultural minorities, not least the Romanis, the government apologised in the white paper for these injustices. The governmental initiatives for national minorities has focused on organisational development, economic support for NGOs representing national minorities and economic support for establishing and developing centres for national minorities. Newspapers and periodicals in Sàmi and other minority languages receive some economic support from the government through various schemes. 4.2.5 Language issues and policies The official languages of Norway are Norwegian with two forms, Bokmål and Nynorsk, and Sàmi. The two forms of Norwegian are products of two different policies in the process of establishing a language that could support an independent Norwegian nation after the secession from Denmark in 1814. Bokmål developed by using the Danish written language as a basis and adapting it for Norway according to the norms of urban upper-class speech, while Nynorsk developed on the basis of a comparative study of Norwegian dialects of the (self-taught) linguist Ivar Aasen (1813-1896). Nynorsk received official

N-16

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway recognition through a parliamentary resolution in 1885. The two forms of Norwegian are quite close, and easily understood by Norwegians. There are 430 municipalities in Norway (2011). A total of 114 of these have chosen Nynorsk as their official language and approximately 160 municipalities have opted for Bokmål, while the rest are "neutral". Neutrality, however, usually means that Bokmål is the chosen form. The 114 Nynorsk speaking municipalities include approximately 11% of the population. In secondary schools (or rather, from the eighth grade of primary school), both forms of Norwegian are compulsory for all pupils - one of them as a main language, the other as a "second language", which is the personal choice of each student. Learning a compulsory second language is often met with resistance and is continually discussed. Students with a foreign-language background (including Sàmi) may choose their own language as their primary or second language in addition to one of the Norwegian forms. The main goal of the linguistic policy has been to protect and strengthen the two forms of the Norwegian language so that both Bokmål and Nynorsk can survive as equally important languages. In a 2008 Report on Language Issues to the Parliament, the Norwegian government states that the Norwegian language has decreased its relative position in the Norwegian society, particularly in relation to the Anglo-American linguistic influence. This is considered to be a big problem because national languages are one of the most important forms of cultural expression. Thus, as a cultural nation, the Norwegian government has an obligation to maintain and develop Norwegian as a language for future generations. The overall goal of the linguistic policy must be to safeguard the Norwegian language's position as a full, community-supported language in Norway. More than 95% of the Norwegian population use one of the Norwegian forms as their primary language, with Sàmi being the most important minority language. Responsibility for the Sàmi language is seen as an important part of Norwegian cultural policy. Some operational tasks are allocated to the Sàmi parliament (Sametinget / Sàmidiggi), including a Sàmi language council. The Act on Sàmi requires that public information that is particularly relevant to the Sàmi people is translated into Sàmi (i.e. laws and regulations, promulgations and forms). Norway has signed the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, and has accepted certain obligations in respect to the minority languages in Norway. The Charter covers the languages of Kvensk, Romanes and Romani. After a request from the European Council, Norway clarified the status of Kvensk in 2005, which is now recognised as a language in its own right and not as a dialect of Finnish. The plural language situation in Norway is manifested in the Act on Place Names. The Act provides rules for the use of multilingual place names in the multilingual parts of the country. Place names in the areas where Sàmi and Kvensk are spoken must generally be used by public authorities on maps, signposts, registers, etc. Porsanger, for example, is a municipality in the northern part of Norway that has three official names, Porsanger (Norwegian), Porsángu (Sàmi) and Porsanki (Kvensk). The increase in immigration has led to a growth in the number of pupils who speak minority languages, and there is broad political consensus that schools should cater to the needs of these minorities to help enable them to pursue an education and a career. Under the auspices of the Nordic Council of Ministers, a Nordic collaboration has been established for the education of pupils who speak minority languages.

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-17

Norway 4.2.6 Media pluralism and content diversity There are three overall aims of media policy in Norway: firstly, to safeguard freedom of speech; secondly, to safeguard cultural diversity and that a media offer is given in Norwegian, and thirdly, to protect children against damaging media content. There are approximately 225 newspapers in Norway with a total circulation of 3 146 000 (2009). There is a broad political agreement in Norway that a diversified press is a democratic asset. In the 1950s, the rising costs of newspaper production led to the demise of many newspapers. In 1966, the press organisations appealed to the authorities for economic support in order to be able to maintain a wide variety of newspapers, and thus to ensure the democratic exchange of opinions. Three years later a state subsidy scheme was established for the daily newspapers. The subsidies amounted to between 2 to 3% of the total annual turnover of the press. Moreover, subsidies are directed specifically towards newspapers that are in difficult market positions. In order to be eligible for support, the newspaper must have a general news profile and an editor who adheres to the Editor's Code, which is set up by the Editors' Association and the Publishers' Association. This code gives certain guarantees for the independence of the editors in relation to the owners. In addition to the general subsidies, special support is awarded to newspapers published for the Sàmi people and other newspapers published in the far north of Norway, with support also given to political party publications. However, it has been argued that the most important subsidy is the exemption of the newspapers from the Value Added Tax system. The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) was established by the Parliament in 1933, replacing four existing private radio companies. The Corporation was a state monopoly financed by public licensing fees. The NRK television channel was officially inaugurated in 1960 after a few years of test transmissions. In 1996, the NRK became a joint stock company with the state as the sole owner. Advertising is still prohibited in the NRK, but a limited number of sponsored programmes have been allowed, although exactly what is to be regarded as sponsorship is currently under debate. Parties other than the NRK must hold a licence in order to engage in broadcasting. Until the beginning of the 1980s, media policy was largely concerned with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. However, during that decade, media policy was liberalised and the way was paved for private broadcasting financed by advertising. The broadcasting of satellite television through the cable network led to a greater need for regulation and administration. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs issues licences for national and local broadcasting. In 1991, the Ministry established a department of Media Policy and Copyright to be responsible for broadcasting legislation, copyright issues, press subsidies and films. Today, several administrative responsibilities in the media sector are delegated to the Norwegian Media Authority. The "public service" ideology has been central to media policy in Norway. The public service duties of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation are manifested in its statutes. However, the licences granted to the television channel TV 2 and the radio channel P4 in the early 1990s, as well as the radio channel Radio Norge in 2004 established channels with dual objectives. As privately owned entities, they were to generate the greatest possible profits for their owners, while the frameworks of the licences imposed mandatory public service broadcasting obligations on them. The licence specified that TV 2 must have at least one news programme per day and that at least 50% of the programmes were to be produced in the Norwegian language. In order to clarify the dilemmas related to the licences and to evaluate whether the licensed channels, in addition to the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, comply with the obligations connected to the licenses, a Public Service Broadcast Board was appointed. In 2004, compliance with public service duties by the privately owned media channels attracted particular political attention and public N-18

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway debate due to the allocation of the licence to Radio Norge, which had been held for the previous 10 years by P4. The reason for the removal of the licence from P4 seemed to be that the Minister of Culture was not satisfied with P4's compliance with their obligations during their first licence period. Shortly after the allocation of the licence to Radio Norge, however, a new licence was established and assigned to P4. There are no general subsidy schemes for electronic media. However, a fund has been established to encourage the co-production of audiovisual works and similar projects by film and television companies. The fund allocates support for local radio stations and for educational measures for employees of local radio and television stations. In recent years (from 2008), there has also been a large development of optical fibre and other high-speed internet and television supplies, as well as a full digitalisation of the TV signals, which has led to an increase in public access to different TV channels. More and more, Norwegians now have access to both commercial Nordic channels and TV channels from abroad. Access and the use of the Internet have also increased. Today (2010), 93% of all Norwegians have access to the Internet at home. The use of smartphones and tablet computers has also increased dramatically in Norway from 2008. In 2010, 1.25 mill Smartphones were sold in Norway. 4.2.7 Intercultural dialogue: actors, strategies, programmes The year 2008 has been celebrated as the Norwegian Year of Cultural Diversity. This initiative was taken by the Storting (the Parliament), which aimed to transform the understanding of the dynamics of cultural life in Norway on a long-term basis. The primary idea was to gain a greater sense of respect for and knowledge of cultural diversity throughout Norwegian society by pairing established mainstream institutions with representatives from independent minority groups. For this purpose, arts and culture are credited with having a unique potential to create dialogue and contribute to the understanding of complex questions in a society. The main focus in 2008 was to highlight ethnic and cultural diversity. Other important areas of commitment included dialogue, diversity and multiculturalism, including the religious aspect. Arts Council Norway has no policies for earmarked cultural diversity funding. However, diversity is integrated as a part of the cultural activities supported by the Council. This strategy should thereby avoid stigmatisation of ethnic groups as a result of priorities due to ethnicity rather than artistic qualities. Nevertheless, Arts Council Norway gave priority to artistic projects with a diversity dimension when allocating grants in both 2007 and 2008. During the last few years, Norwegian museums have been an important arena for intercultural dialogue. In a 1999 Parliament report concerning libraries, archives and museums, the Norwegian government stated that: "Museums will be an arena where people can develop positive attitudes to their own and other cultural roots." Thus, multi-culturality was emphasised as an important future issue for museums as well. During the last few years, several museums have worked extensively with multicultural projects and a separate network for such projects has been established. In the period from 2003 to 2006, the proportion of public grants to projects concerning cultural diversity increased from 4.2% to 7.5%. The government includes terms of cultural diversity aspects when allocating grants to cultural institutions. For instance, The Ministry stresses that cultural diversity should not develop into a new sector of culture. This applies to institutions and organisations to integrate diversity perspectives into their ordinary activities. Thus, in addition to goals and Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-19

Norway measures of their activities in 2008, they should also prepare long-term strategies for the inclusion of diversity aspects in these activities. Cultural diversity and cultural complexity has been an issue for the Nordic Council of Ministers during the last years. A 2008 Nordic Council report to the Nordic Council of Ministers suggests how Nordic collaboration can encourage management of cultural complexity and coexistence in a multicultural society. The main concerns of the report are: • • •

• •

that the accessibility to cultural goods is not equal for all members of society; that the field of culture does not reflect our community today; the rights to maintain and develop cultural traditions are not equal. Some people's cultural heritage does not receive the same amount of encouragement and support by society; the recruitment to fine arts education does not reflect today's cultural diversity; and the media is too homogeneous in their coverage of society.

Among actions proposed in the report are: • •

to initiate an international programme of cultural exchange; and to examine the possibility of establishing a Nordic international surveillance to help develop policy.

4.2.8 Social cohesion and cultural policies To democratise culture has been a central aim of Norwegian cultural policy as long as the public authorities have had an active cultural policy. The ambition has been to ensure that the socio-economic background or geographical place of residence is no obstacle to participation in cultural activities. Similar to many other countries, the strategy for culture and social cohesion in Norway changed from the "democratisation of culture" to "cultural democracy" during the 1970s. Today, it is more accurate to describe the strategy as a combination of the two. During the last few years, cultural diversity has been given more attention in the cultural policy in Norway. Connected with the Norwegian Year of Cultural Diversity in 2008, the Minister of Culture proclaimed that cultural institutions with permanent governmental funding should be evaluated with regard to the extent to which they initiate and accomplish measures that aim to promote cultural diversity. The Minister of Culture has emphasised social inclusion as one the most important target areas in the years to come. In 2011, a white paper on culture and social inclusion is expected. 4.2.9 Employment policies for the cultural sector There are no exact estimates of how many people are working in the cultural sector in Norway. In a recent report on artists' activity on the number, labour and income conditions published by Telemark Research Institute (2008) (link: http://www.tmforsk.no/publikasjoner/filer/1312.pdf), the total number of artists was estimated at 19 000. The artistic population in Norway has grown considerably during the past decades, although available statistics concerning this increase are somewhat inconsistent and insufficient. The membership of the artist's unions, however, grew considerably during the 1980s and 1990s. An estimate made by the Institute for Social Research indicates that from 1979/80 to 1994 the number of professional artists increased by 30-40%. This growth has continued, and according to the Telemark Research Institute report, the number of professional artists increased by a further 30-40% over the next 12 years. N-20

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway The number of students who have completed a formal education in the arts (at colleges both in Norway and abroad) has also grown considerably over the last decades. The number of Norwegian art students studying abroad seems to have increased four-fold from 1986-87 to 1998-99, although this estimate is a little uncertain because the categories of available statistics have changed during this period. In 2007/2008, 1 404 Norwegians (11% of the total amount of students) studied art abroad. While the number of artists has increased radically, the market for their products and services has not increased proportionately. Thus, there is a considerable surplus of workers in the cultural sector in Norway. Even if the scope of artists' policy schemes has increased in real terms, the increase has not been so great that it has been able to meet the rise in the number of artists. As a result, there has been a certain re-distribution of funds from guaranteed incomes to work grants. The last estimates on the income levels of artists are from 2006 and are produced by the Telemark Research Institute. They indicate that there are considerable variations between the categories of artists concerning income. While actors, stage directors and composers of popular music were among those with the highest artistic income level, visual artists, crafts people, dancers and art photographers were among those with the lowest income level. Compared to the salary level of other sectors, artists earn considerably less than other professionals such as doctors and lawyers. Instead, the typical income level of artists is parallel to that of the lowest level of industrial workers. Some categories of artists earn much less, while others a lot more. Table 1: Average and median artistic income for all artists and full-time artists, in NOK, in thousands, N=2.272 All artists Full-time artists Artistic groups Average Average artistic Median Average Median artistic income, women artistic artistic artistic income only income income income Visual artists 86.4 73.7 38.3 114.9 89.7 Artisans 109.4 105.4 82.7 139.4 127.6 Fine art photographers 61.9 34.8 7.0 110.5 49.5 Designers / illustrators 235.2 221.1 196.0 400.6 384.5 Interior architects 274.9 287.2 306.3 341.6 341.4 Fiction writers 216.6 144.8 164.1 294.3 194.9 Dramatists 225.5 156.5 161.6 313.1 229.8 Translators 233.1 206.9 233.9 309.1 341.0 Non-fiction writers 196.4 203.7 126.9 267.7 302.3 Art critics 146.6 97.0 81.2 183.5 147.7 Actors 263.3 217.3 265.7 292.0 294.2 Stage directors 250.3 143.0 276.7 358.5 355.4 Stage designers 240.3 227.8 262.7 329.3 330.1 Film artists 227.0 185.0 211.1 289.7 237.8 Dance artists 140.1 129.1 116.5 108.5 97.1 Musicians, singers, and conductors 209.5 202.6 193.0 249.1 278.2 Composers 168.2 150.2 158.5 192.0 179.6 Composers of popular music 329.6 184.0 134.9 399.8 175.4 Folk artists 197.3 129.5 171.1 293.8 236.9 Other artistic groups 149.9 133.1 48.0 299.4 232.7 N 2272 1137 2272 828 828 Total 191.1 167.6 154.5 247.1 230.8 Source: *

Telemark Research Institute, 2008. NOK 1000 = EUR 124.2 (2006 average).

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-21

Norway 4.2.10 Gender equality and cultural policies Statistics on participation by men and women in various cultural activities demonstrate no radical differences in their use of culture and media. However, the percentage of men and women do vary between different types of cultural activities. While museums, concerts of popular music and sports events attract men to a greater extent than women, cinema, dance / ballet, theatre / musicals, art exhibitions, public libraries and concerts of classical music attract more women than men. The latest survey on the economic situation of Norwegian artists (2006) shows that there is a small preponderance of male artists (56% / 44%). Some art forms are dominated by men (authors, dramatists, film workers, musicians and composers), while others have a predominance of women (artisans, stage directors and dancers). A survey completed in 2002 shows that 33% of leaders in the culture sector are women. Compared to other sectors of Norwegian society (e.g. research, public administration, media and the business sector), this percentage is relatively high. From 1989 until the autumn of 2005, as well as from 2009, the position of Minister of Culture has been held by a woman. Quota schemes have not been a major factor in the culture sector in Norway. However, quotas have been suggested and debated in relation to film and jazz music. Of the students that finished their education at The Norwegian Film School since it was established in 1997, 48% have been women. When it comes to the grants given by the Norwegian Film Fund, women are under-represented. Only 20% of the key positions in the film projects with financial support from the Film Fund from 2001 to 2005 were held by women. Because of the low representation of women in the film industry, the Norwegian Film Fund established a grant scheme in 2006 to promote the development of film projects with women in key positions. Since the first professional jazz education was established in 1979, 12% of the students have been women, most of them singers, with only 3% of the students having been female instrumentalists. Although it has been debated in the media, there are no plans to introduce quotas for the present time. In the field of popular music, AKKS - an organisation working to recruit and motivate women to promote themselves in all sectors of the music business has been important. AKKS arranges courses on different instruments and genres of popular music, primarily for women, and receives some economic support from public funds. 4.2.11 New technologies and digitalisation in the arts and culture Strategies to promote the implementation of new technologies in the field of art and cultural policy range from the general policies of utilising the potential of information technologies in public administration to specific support schemes for artistic work. From 1998-2000, Arts Council Norway had an experimental scheme giving support to artistic projects implementing new technologies. Since 2001, money specified for the same purpose is allocated through the ordinary support schemes on theatre / dance and visual art of the Arts Council. In the area of heritage policies, a five-year project aimed at establishing a digital library was started in 2003. Its vision was to give the public easy access to information and knowledge sources in libraries, archives and museums. In recent years, there have been several debates on e-books, downloaded music and downloaded movies. This debate includes VAT exemptions and library's relationships to ebooks. As a pilot project, one Norwegian library now offers e-books and e-book readers. Since 2010, there has been a large increase in streaming of music. In addition to Spotify, a Norwegian streaming service called Wimp has been released. In 2011, more than 10% of N-22

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway the population has subscribed to such services, which seems to have become a large income source for artists.

4.3

Other relevant issues and debates

Gaming machines have been an important source of income for many Norwegian organisations working for idealistic and humanitarian purposes (e.g. the Norwegian Red Cross). While non-profit organisations with idealistic objectives were the sole owners of gaming machines, a decision in the Storting (the Parliament) in 1994 cleared the way for commercial actors to run gaming machines. During the last years, considerable attention has been directed to gaming addiction as a social problem, which means that the idealistic and humanitarian organisations find themselves in a delicate situation. On the one hand, their work has been dependent on the income from gaming machines, while on the other, this way of financing their activities has produced social problems in conflict with the overarching aims of these organisations. In order to fight gaming addiction, the Storting changed the legislation in 2003 so that Norsk Tipping AS, which is Norway's leading gaming company and wholly-owned by the Norwegian state, obtained the sole right to run gaming machines. The NGOs that ran gaming machines were promised economic compensation for their loss of income. According to the plan, the existing gaming machine businesses were due to be replaced by the monopoly run by Norsk Tipping during 2005 and 2006. However, in the autumn of 2005, the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) decided to bring the Norwegian gambling machine monopoly to the EFTA Court. According to the ESA, a gambling machine monopoly is a restriction on the freedom of establishments to provide goods and services within the EEA region, and is therefore not in accordance with the EEA Agreement. On 30 May 2007, the EFTA Court finally stated that the main principles of the Norwegian gambling policy do not violate the EEA agreement.

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-23

Norway

5.

Main legal provisions in the cultural field

5.1

General legislation

5.1.1 Constitution There are two articles in the Norwegian Constitution related to culture: Firstly, Article 100 which guarantees freedom of expression: "There shall be liberty of the Press. No person may be punished for any writing, whatever its content, which he has caused to be printed or published, unless he wilfully and manifestly has either himself shown or incited others to disobedience to the laws, contempt of religion, morality or the constitutional powers, or resistance to their orders, or has made false and defamatory accusations against anyone. Everyone shall be free to speak his mind frankly on the administration of the State and on any other subject whatsoever." Secondly, Article 110a of the Constitution deals with the responsibilities vis-à-vis the Sami people: "It is the responsibility of the authorities of the State to create conditions enabling the Sami people to preserve and develop their language, culture and way of life." 5.1.2 Division of jurisdiction There is no general legislation regulating the division of cultural competence between the national, regional and local levels in Norway. Most of the culture priorities of the municipalities and counties are self-defined. Important exceptions are the responsibility of the counties and municipalities for public libraries determined by the Act on Public Libraries (1947) and the responsibility of the municipalities for music and culture schools that was brought into the Act on Education in 1997. 5.1.3 Allocation of public funds The allocation of public funds for culture is not governed by laws in Norway. 5.1.4 Social security frameworks The Act on National Insurance ensures that unemployed people are entitled to daily cash benefits. The daily cash benefits partially compensate for a loss of income due to unemployment. Working hours must have been reduced by at least 50% compared to previous working hours. The Act on Social Services ensures that benefits are available to people who are unable to provide their own subsistence. 5.1.5 Tax laws The legislation on taxes in Norway implies no specific incentives for private sector investment in culture. The ordinary rate of VAT is 25% (2005). However, cultural services have an exemption from VAT. There is no VAT on tickets for theatre, cinema, ballet or circus performances, and payment for admission to concerts, sport events, galleries and museums is also exempted from VAT. In conjunction with the VAT exemption for the performance of art works (performing arts), the Storting (the Parliament) has approved that the arrangement of such services is also exempted from VAT. Services that are a necessary and integrated part of the artistic performance also have a VAT exemption. In addition, theatres, cinemas and organisers of exhibitions and concerts are exempted from VAT when selling catalogues, programmes, picture postcards and souvenirs. Charity institutions and N-24

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway organisations are also exempted from VAT when selling various goods. There is no VAT on the sale of books and audio-books in Norway, and some periodicals are also exempted from VAT. There are also tax deductions on gifts to voluntary organisations. There are legal measures in terms of fees and compensations that partly constitute the economic conditions for individual artistic activity: • • • • •

• • •

The Turnover of Works of Visual Arts Levy Act (1948); Remuneration for the Public Performance of Performing Artists Act (1956); Norwegian Fund for Composers Act (1965); Remuneration for Lending by Public Libraries Act (1987); Remuneration for the Exhibition of Visual and Applied Arts Act (the revenues are used to support foundations for visual artists, performing artists, composers and authors) (1993); Copyright Act (1961); Income Tax Act (1999); and VAT Act (1969).

5.1.6 Labour laws Information is currently not available. 5.1.7 Copyright provisions Norway follows the continental European droit d'auteur tradition in the general approach to copyright legislation. In addition, there is close cooperation between the five Nordic countries (Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Norway) on copyright issues. There have been no recent debates about moral rights, although there is a general public awareness that the rights holders should be credited when their works are used. There are no provisions in the Copyright Act explicitly covering the concept of "fair use" since Norway follows the droit d'auteur tradition. However, the system allows for exceptions to the authors' rights (see Article 9 of the Berne Convention). Such provisions include inter alia the use of works for educational purposes, use for the disabled, copying by libraries, quotations of works as well as private copying. Secondary rights holders – i.e. rights holders who are not themselves the author of a work but have acquired rights from the original author – do not necessarily have the same rights as the original author. The rights of the secondary rights holder will depend on the content of the agreement entered into by the original author and the secondary rights holder. One example of this is that if an author has sold the right of reproduction of a work to be published in the form of a novel this does not include other forms of publication, such as in newspapers or journals, unless this is specified in the agreement. Broadcasters can use copyrighted works in their broadcasts on the condition that they fulfil the terms of an extended collective licence, cf. section 30 of the Copyright Act (1961). According to this provision, the broadcaster must have an agreement with an organisation representing the rights holders. The most recent revision in the Norwegian copyright legislation has been the implementation of the EEA (EU) Copyright Directive (2001/20/EC). This implementation was entered into force on 1 July 2005. There are now provisions in the Copyright Act concerning the protection of technological measures and rights-management information. Several provisions have also been revised to include digital reproduction. As regards other technological developments, the wording of the Norwegian copyright legislation has been kept "technologically neutral" so that rapid technological changes do not necessitate many actual changes to the Copyright Act. Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-25

Norway 5.1.8 Data protection laws The Personal Data Act (Act of 14 April 2000 No. 31 relating to the processing of personal data) aims to protect natural persons from violations of their right to privacy through the processing of personal data. The Act shall help to ensure that personal data is processed in accordance with fundamental respect for the right to privacy, including the need to protect personal integrity and private life and ensure that personal data is of an adequate quality. 5.1.9 Language laws The following acts cover language issues in Norway: •

• • •

Norwegian Language Council Act (1979). The Act regulates the work of the Norwegian Language Council, which is the Norwegian government's advisory body in matters pertaining to the Norwegian language and language planning; Language Usage in Civil Service Act (1980). The Act aims to ensure that both forms of the official languages are used in public service; Place Names Act (1990). The Act determines the spelling of place names when they are used by public authorities at all levels; and Sàmi Act (1987). The Act includes regulations on the public use of the Sàmi.

5.1.10 Other areas of general legislation Information is currently not available.

5.2

Legislation on culture

On 1 August 2007, a new general Culture Act entered into force in Norway. The Culture Act is simple and contains no detailed regulations of financing, priorities or organisation of the field of culture for the state, counties and municipalities. The Act leaves room for local autonomy. At the same time, the Act aims to ensure that the counties and municipalities provide economic and organisational measures that promote a broad spectrum of cultural activities at the local and regional level. The Culture Act also aims at facilitating a national culture policy in a more globalised world. Table 2:

List of the existing cultural legislation

Title of the Act Fee on Sale of Visual Art a.o.(the Fee on Art Statute) National Touring Theatre Act Remuneration for the Public Performance of Performing Artists Act Norwegian Fund for Composers Act Cultural Monuments: Prohibition of Exportation and Reallocation of Objects Act Public Libraries Act Public Lending Rights Act Films Act Legal Deposit Act Archives Act Broadcasting Act Remuneration for the Exhibition of Visual and Applied Arts Act Act on the Lottery Media Ownership Act Culture Act N-26

Year of adoption 1948 1948 1956 1965 1978 1985 1987 1987 1989 1992 1992 1993 1995 1997 2007

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway

5.3

Sector specific legislation

5.3.1 Visual and applied arts The following acts are relevant to visual and applied arts in Norway: •

•

Fee on the Sale of Visual Art a.o. (the Fee on Art Statute) (1948). According to the act, the buyer of art shall pay a fee of 3% in addition to the price of the artwork. The art dealer shall collect the fee and send it to The Relief Fund for Visual Artists. This scheme reflects the Nordic collective version of "droit de suite"; and Remuneration for the Exhibition of Visual and Applied Arts Act (1993).

5.3.2 Performing arts and music The following acts are relevant to performing arts and music in Norway: • • •

National Touring Theatre Act (1948); Remuneration for the Public Performance of Performing Artists Act (1956); and Norwegian Fund for Composers Act (1965).

5.3.3 Cultural heritage The following acts cover cultural heritage issues in Norway: • •

Cultural Monuments: Prohibition of Exportation and Reallocation of Objects Act (1978); and Archives Act (1992).

5.3.4 Literature and libraries The following acts cover literature and library issues in Norway: • • •

Public Libraries Act (1985); Public Lending Rights Act (1987); and Legal Deposit Act (1989).

5.3.5 Architecture and spatial planning The following act is relevant to architecture and the environment: •

Planning and Building Act (1985).

5.3.6 Film, video and photography The following act is relevant to film, video and photography: •

Films Act (1913).

5.3.7 Mass media The following acts cover mass media issues: • • •

Broadcasting Act (1992); Media Ownership Act (1997); and Television Standards Act (1987).

Norway has no separate Act relating to the press, but various provisions of the General Civic Penal Code apply. Article 100 of the Constitution protects the freedom of the press. Article 100 reads:

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-27

Norway "There shall be liberty of the press. No person may be punished for any writing, whatever its contents may be, which he has caused to be printed or published, unless he wilfully and manifestly has either himself shown or incited others to disobedience to the laws, contempt of religion, morality or the constitutional powers, or resistance to their orders, or has made false and defamatory accusations against anyone. Everyone shall be free to speak his mind frankly on the administration of the State or on any other subject whatsoever." Article 100 is generally understood to prohibit prior censorship of printed matter. However, the Court of Enforcement may issue an order to restrain publication if it threatens to seriously harm the interests of the plaintiff. Such injunctions remain very few and rare. In Norway, advertisements promoting alcohol and tobacco are prohibited, as well as advertising which is not in accordance with the principle of equality between the sexes, as well as advertising for certain medicines. Furthermore, the Broadcasting Act (1992) limits the volume of advertising allowed and prohibits advertising directed towards children. There are no laws regarding ethical standards in the media. However, since 1936 the printed press has maintained a Code of Ethical Standards through the establishment of the Press Complaints Commission. Since 1996, complaints against radio and television are also dealt with by this Commission, although a special Broadcasting Complaints Commission was in operation until the summer of 1998 in accordance with the Broadcasting Act. The basis for the hearings by the Press Complaints Commission is the Code of Ethics, which is drawn up by the press organisations through their common organisation, the Norwegian Press Association. 5.3.8 Other areas of culture specific legislation •

Act on the Lottery (1995).

N-28

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway

6.

Financing of culture

6.1

Short overview

Public authorities have played a crucial role in the financing of culture in Norway, with the state level and the municipality level being the most important. In the autumn of 2005, a new government came to power in Norway and stated that one of its primary ambitions in the field of culture was to increase the amount of the state budget allocated to culture to 1% by 2014. The total public expenditure on culture in 2009 was NOK 16.29 billion (2.09 billion EUR). Of this, the central government allocated 7.48 billion NOK (962 million EUR), county councils spent 1.02 billion NOK (131 million EUR) and municipalities spent 7.79 billion NOK (963 million EUR). National surveys prove that the share of the total household spending allocated to cultural activities and goods is increasing, and was 12.1% from 2006-2008.

6.2

Public cultural expenditure

6.2.1 Aggregated indicators In 2009, public cultural expenditure in Norway was NOK 3 395 (391.7 EUR) per capita in 2009. It corresponded to 0.68 % of GDP. At state level the expenditure per capita in 2009 was 1 558 NOK (179.8 EUR) and corresponded to 0.31% of GDP. Table 3:

Public cultural expenditure per capita, in NOK, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2009

Level of government State (federal)* Regional (provincial, Länder) Local (municipal)* Total % of GDP, total % of GDP, state (federal) Source: *

2002 941 166 1 112 2 219 0.66% 0.28%

2005 1 152 190 1 278 2 619 0.62% 0.27%

2008 1 372 205 1 609 3 187 0.60% 0.26%

2009 1 558 213 2 624 3 395 0.68% 0.31%

Statistics Norway - Culture Statistics 2003, 2006, 2009, 2010. Church affairs not included.

6.2.2 Public cultural expenditure broken down by level of government Table 4:

Public cultural expenditure: by level of government, 2009

Level of government State (central, federal) Regional (provincial, Länder, etc.) Local (municipal, incl. counties) TOTAL Source: *

Total expenditure Total expenditure in NOK in EUR* 7 479 400 000 962 723 645 1 022 306 000 131 587 849

% share of total 45.9% 6.3%

7 792 852 000

1 003 070 150

47.8%

16 294 558 000

2 097 381 644

100%

Statistics Norway – Culture Statistics 2009. Exchange rate pr. 22.02.2011.

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-29

Norway 6.2.3 Sector breakdown Table 5:

Direct state cultural expenditure and transfers (central level)*: by sector, , in NOK, 2008

Field / Domain / Sub-domain

of which: Direct of which: Transfers** TOTAL expenditure** in NOK in % to other to NGOs, (of government levels of companies, or its agencies) government individuals

I. Cultural Heritage Historical Monuments Museums 756 500 13% Archives 252 700 4% Libraries 651 300 11% Intangible Heritage /Folk Culture 343 200 6% II. Visual Arts Fine Arts / Plastic Arts Photography Architecture*** Design / Applied Arts III. Performing Arts Music 708 500 12% Theatre, Music Theatre, Dance 1 254 700 21% Multidisciplinary 900 400 15% IV. Books and Press Books Press V. Audiovisual and Multimedia Cinema Television Sound recordings Radio Multimedia VI. Interdisciplinary Socio-culture Cultural Relations Abroad Administration**** Cultural Education**** 987 700 17% VII. Not covered by domain IVI TOTAL 5 855 000 100% Source:

N-30

Statistics Norway - Culture Statistics 2009.

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway Table 6:

State cultural expenditure: by sector, in billions NOK, 1996 and 2009

Field / Domain / Sub-domain* Year General cultural objectives Cultural buildings Arts Council Norway Funds for artists Visual arts Performing arts Music Theatre and musical theatre Coordination of archives, libraries and museums Film and media Language, literature and libraries Museums Archives Other TOTAL Source: * **

***

6.3

State expenditure** 1996 2009 0.073 0.412 0.150 0.207 0.160 0.040 0.105 0.365 0.189 0.365 0.995 2.187 0.349 0.812 0.646 1.375 0.136 0.550 0.256 0.296 0.121 0.079 2.974

0.947 0.724 0.808 0.280 0.645 7.116

% of total 1996 2009 2.45% 5.79% 5.04% 2.91% 5.38% 0.56% 3.53% 5.13% 6.36% 5.13% 33.46% 30.73% 11.74% 11.41% 21.72-% 19.32-% 0.00-% 1.91-% 18.49-% 13.31-% 8.61% 10.17% 9.95% 11.35% 4.07% 3.93-% 2.66% 9.06-% 100.00% 100.00 %

Statistics Norway - Culture Statistics 2009. The categories for Field / Domain / Sub-Domain follow the categories used in the state budget. Even if transfers from the state level are a crucial source of income for the municipality and county level, the transfers are not specified. It is not possible to estimate how much of the transfers are being used on culture. Therefore, the Table only includes state expenditures. The Table covers state expenditures allocated in the state budget. What is not included here is the expenditure allocated through other financial instruments, i.e. profits from Norsk Tipping A/S (Norway's stateowned gaming company). In 2008, this included administration, grants to religious groups and volunteer purposes. In 1996, this only included administration.

Trends and indicators for private cultural financing

In Norway, public authorities have taken considerable responsibility for culture, not least by financing cultural and artistic activities. Nonetheless, attention has been directed in recent years to the potential role of private actors. In 2005, the Ministry of Culture presented a white paper on the relation between culture and business. It emphasises that private actors may play a more prominent role in financing culture in the years ahead. However, the Ministry maintains that the main responsibility for financing culture still lies in the hands of the public authorities. There are no statistics available that give a full overview of private financing, but several indicators show that there has been an increase in private financing in the past few years. According to Gran and Hofplass (2007), the total amount of cultural sponsorship in 2006 was estimated at NOK 519 million (EUR 65.78 million) and there are also some private foundations that fund culture. The DnB NOR Savings Bank Foundation and The Freedom of Expression Foundation (Fritt ord) are two of the largest foundations. The amounts donated each year are determined by financial results, so it changes every year. On average, the DnB NOR Savings Bank Foundation has donated NOK 55 million (EUR 7.15 million) for art and cultural purposes over the last five years, while the Freedom of Expression Foundation has averaged 110 million NOK (EUR 14.3 million) for the same period All major lotteries and gaming activity and the allocation of their profits are organised through the Ministry of Culture (see more in chapter 3.2).

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-31

Norway

7.

Public institutions in cultural infrastructure

7.1

Cultural infrastructure: tendencies & strategies

Most of the culture infrastructure in Norway constitutes public or "semi-public" institutions. Many of these institutions are organised as independent foundations with an executive committee, which are mainly financed by one or several public bodies. The private cultural infrastructure primarily consists of cinemas, cabaret and revue theatres, popular music venues and some art galleries.

7.2

Basic data about selected public institutions in the cultural sector

Table 7:

Cultural institutions financed by public authorities, by domain

Domain Cultural heritage

Visual arts Performing arts

Books and Libraries Audiovisual Interdisciplinary

Cultural institutions (subdomains) Cultural heritage sites (recognised) Museums (organisations) Archives (of public authorities) public art galleries / exhibition halls Art academies (or universities)1 Symphonic orchestras Music schools** Music / theatre academies (or universities)* Dramatic theatre Music theatres, opera houses Dance and ballet companies Libraries*** Broadcasting organisations Socio-cultural centres / cultural houses****

Number (Year)

Trend (++ to --)

18 70

7

15 1 2 1

Other (please explain) Source(s): State budget 2010 and 2011 (Prop. 1 S (2009–2010), Prop. 1 S (2010–2011). Notes: It is problematic to choose which and how many institutions can be included in such a list. The institutions chosen here are limited to those that the government holds a particular responsibility for. Domains not specified with numbers are a problem to separate. * Academies are founded by the ministry of education and research, and are often part of a university or college. ** Music and cultural schools can be found in every municipality in Norway due to legislation. *** Libraries can be found in every municipality in Norway due to legislation. **** There are several culture houses around Norway that are primarily owned by the municipalities. No exact number can be found.

7.3

Status and partnerships of public cultural institutions

The most prominent reform of public cultural institutions in recent years has taken place in the museum sector. The reform aims to reduce the number of museum units at the regional level and to strengthen the existing units professionally and administratively. The reform, which is often termed "consolidation", has focused on mergers between museums in the same regions and on the establishment of national networks (see also chapter 4.2.2). Compared to other public sectors in Norway, there has been relatively little outsourcing of activities and privatisation of institutions in the culture sector. N-32

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway It appears that private sponsorship in the area of culture has increased in Norway in recent decades. However, culture statistics from Statistics Norway prove that the share of the total income from art institutions such as theatres and symphony orchestras coming from private sponsors is still low. It is probable that the share of the total income of more project-based cultural organisations, e.g. festivals, is considerably higher. In a white paper on culture presented at the beginning of the 1980s, the Ministry of Church and Education Affairs stated that a greater share of the income of culture institutions should be derived from the private market either through the sale of tickets or from private sponsorship. The share of the total income of cultural institutions received from public subsidies, e.g. theatres, decreased by 10% during the period from 1980 to 1999. This policy has promoted an increased interest in sponsorship.

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-33

Norway

8.

Promoting creativity and participation

8.1

Support to artists and other creative workers

8.1.1 Overview of strategies, programmes and direct or indirect forms of support Public authorities in Norway use the following methods to support artists: 1) Schemes for grants and guaranteed income These schemes give support to individual artists. 2) Schemes for compensation and taxes There are different schemes to ensure that artists receive compensation for the public use of their work. 3) Grants to art institutions Several theatres, symphony orchestras and the National Opera receive between 70-95% of their income from public grants. 4) Grants to dissemination institutions The major part of the income of many dissemination institutions are public grants. 5) Others There are several schemes that contribute to the extension of the market for artistic and cultural goods and services, e.g. the purchasing scheme for new Norwegian literature. 8.1.2 Special artists' funds Compensation funds / droite de suite: • • •

The Relief Fund for visual artists; Fond for Lyd og Bilde (Cultural Fund for Support to Music and Visual Art ); and Audiovisual Sound.

Purchasing programmes: • •

The Purchasing Programme for Contemporary Fiction and Non-Fiction, Arts Council Norway; and The National Foundation for Art in Public Buildings.

8.1.3 Grants, awards, and scholarships Schemes for grants and guaranteed income for artists are important instruments in the public artist policy in Norway. Grants and guaranteed income may potentially be allocated to all artists who primarily live and work in Norway. In addition to the support schemes for artists on the state level, some municipalities and counties have schemes for artists, but there are great variations among regions. The schemes for stipends and guaranteed income on the state level are direct and individual support for artists who are awarded for set periods of time. However, only a small number of the applicants are successful. •

•

Guaranteed income: Renowned artists receive an annual income equal to the lowest level of the salary scale of the state minus a percentage of the artists' own income. Guaranteed income is awarded to all artist categories, and there are specified quotas for each category, with visual artists being the biggest group. The aim of the scheme is to give individual artists security and peace to work. When offered a guaranteed income, the artist will generally receive this income until the pension age is reached. Work grants of 1-5 years: Artists, primarily creative artists, working on a defined project, or artists who want to devote all their working hours to artistic work, are awarded with a grant. Similar to a guaranteed income, the work grants are distributed

N-34

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway

•

•

• • • • •

•

•

•

according to defined quotas between various artist categories. Creative artists receive most of the stipends. Work grants for young artists: These grants are awarded for 1-3 years to artists under the age of 35 who are at the stage of establishing themselves as artists. This grant is relatively new and was first awarded in 1998 as compensation for the elimination of the specific scholarship connected to art education (see chapter 8.3.4). Grant scheme for the completion of art education: This scheme is awarded to art students on completion of their studies. It is limited to students who have received financial support from the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund during the last academic year and who have studied at selected colleges. Grant scheme for educational and travel purposes: This scheme is substantiated by the artists' need to travel and for further education. Deputy stipends are intended to give artists who are permanent employees in nonartistic areas the possibility of working full-time as artists for shorter periods of time. Material stipends help artists to purchase materials necessary for their artistic work. Establishment stipends aim to help artists under the age of 40 to establish themselves. The stipend must be used to cover investment costs. Establishment stipends for writers and translators are primarily awarded to young writers of all categories, including fiction writers, non-fiction writers, dramatists and translators in an establishment phase. Film recruitment stipends are awarded to those with an interest in film for educational purposes. The stipend must be used to audit film productions or other kinds of practical film work. Exhibition stipends are given as support for publicly accessible individual or group exhibitions of working visual artists, crafts artists and independent photographers who can prove professional work in the actual field. Stipend for elder, merited artists: this is a stipend you cannot apply for, but it is allocated by the Committee for Government Grants (for artists). The stipend is given to artists over 60 years old with no permanent employment and who are not supported by other support schemes from the state.

8.1.4 Support to professional artists associations or unions Most of the professional artists associations and unions in Norway administer support schemes for their members. One example is the Norwegian Society of Composers, which administers the Norwegian Composers' Fund, and the Norwegian Authors' Union, which administers several support schemes for their members.

8.2

Cultural consumption and participation

8.2.1 Trends and figures The interest in cultural activities in Norway is growing. Cultural statistics for 2008 from Statistics Norway show that cinema is the most popular cultural activity, while sports events and public libraries are the second and third most popular activities. While 70% of the population goes to the cinema one or more times each year, the figures for sports events and public libraries are 56% and 51%, respectively. An increasing percentage of the population attends concerts (62% in 2008). The interest in ballet and dance is also growing: 13% of the population attended ballet and dance events in 2008, compared with 9% in 1994. In 2004, cultural statistics included cultural festivals for the first time. The statistics indicate that 28% of the population participated in a cultural festival during 2004. In 2008, the number was 32%. Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-35

Norway Women show a greater interest in cultural activities than men, and children between the ages of 9 to 15 years old are the most active age group. Participation in cultural activities is socially differentiated. A high income and higher education increase the participation rates for cultural activities. Participation is also greater in urban areas. Physical access plays a crucial role in the participation trends. Table 8:

Cultural participation in the last 12 months, in %, 1994, 2000 and 2008

Field Cinema Sports events Public libraries Museum Theatre / musical Art-exhibition Concerts Ballet and dance Opera / operetta Culture festivals Religious meetings Source:

1994 61% 59% 51% 45% 45% 44% 55% 9% 5%

2000 65% 57% 52% 45% 50% 44% 58% 11% 6%

39%

41%

2008 70% 56% 51% 43% 53% 42% 62% 13% 7% 32% 39%

Norwegian Cultural Barometer (Norsk kulturbarometer) 2008.

Household spending on culture and leisure has increased. Nevertheless, there has been a slight decrease in the share of total household expenditure from 2004 to 2008. Spending on movies and CDs has decreased both in NOK and in the share of the total household expenditure.

N-36

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway Table 9:

Expenditure per household per year, by commodity and service group, in NOK and %, 2004 and 2008

Items (Field / Domain)

Culture and leisure in total AV equipment Equipment for the reception, recording and reproduction of sound and pictures Photo equipment, binoculars, etc. IT equipment Movies, CDs, cassettes, etc. Repair of audio visual, photographic and IT equipment Other goods, culture and leisure Larger objects for outdoor recreation Musical instruments, larger objects for indoor recreation Repair of large objects for culture and leisure Other equipment, leisure and garden Games, toys and hobbies Equipment for sports and camping Flowers and garden Pets Services, recreation and culture Sports and leisure services Cultural services, entertainment Film, theatre and concerts Museums, zoos Television fees and rental of equipment Other services Gaming and lottery Newspapers, books and stationery Books Newspapers and periodicals Various publications Stationery Holiday package tours Source:

Household % share of Household % share of expenditure total expenditure total for culture household for culture household in NOK expenditure in NOK expenditure 2004 2004 2008 2008 38 085 12.4 46 050 12.1 6 696 2.2 8 489 2.2 2 826 0.9 4 085 1.1

567 1 847 1 365 91

0.2 0.6 0.4 0

807 2 316 1 245 36

0.2 0.6 0.3 0

2 494 1 885

0.8 0.6

5 431 4 838

1.4 1.3

346

0.1

227

0.1

263

0.1

366

0.1

6 895

2.2

8 548

2.2

1 599 1 662 2 297 1 337 9 836 2 383 4 524 993 384 2 360

0.5 0.5 0.7 0.4 3.2 0.8 1.5 0.3 0.1 0.8

1 708 1 642 2 831 2 367 10 456 2 876 4 999 1 349 562 2 546

0.4 0.4 0.7 0.6 2.7 0.8 1.3 0.4 0.1 0.7

788 2 930 5 889 2 181 3 104 295 309 6 275

0.3 1 1.9 0.7 1 0.1 0.1 2

542 2 581 5 669 1 988 3 041 294 345 7 456

0.1 0.7 1.5 0.5 0.8 0.1 0.1 2

Statistics Norway - Culture Statistics 2008.

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-37

Norway 8.2.2 Policies and programmes The most prominent programme to promote participation in cultural life in Norway in recent years has been The Cultural Rucksack (Den kulturelle skolesekken (DKS) which was established as a national scheme in 2001. From 2007, the programme was extended to also include high schools (see chapter 8.3.2). DKS is a national initiative for professional art and culture in education in Norway, with the following objectives: • •

•

to help to ensure that pupils in primary, lower secondary schools and high schools are offered a professional arts and culture programme; to make it easier for primary, lower secondary school and high school pupils to gain access to, make themselves familiar with and have a positive approach to art and cultural expression of all kinds; and to contribute to an overall incorporation of artistic and cultural expression in the realisation of the school's learning objectives.

DKS is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education and Research and is mainly funded by profits from Norsk Tipping A/S (Norway's state-owned gaming company). One of the preconditions of DKS is that experiences of art and culture in schools should compensate for any inequalities due to a pupil's social background.

8.3

Arts and cultural education

8.3.1 Institutional overview The Storting (the Norwegian Parliament) and the government define the goals and decide the budgetary frameworks for education. The Ministry of Education and Research is Norway's highest public administrative agency for educational matters and is responsible for implementing national educational policy, including arts education at all levels. Over the past decade, arts education in Norway has been reorganised at the primary level, lower and higher secondary level and in the higher educational system. 8.3.2 Arts in schools (curricula, etc.) New curricula for primary schools, as well as lower and higher secondary schools, place an emphasis on aesthetic disciplines. The wish to strengthen the aesthetic and creative capacities of Norwegian pupils is also manifested in The Cultural Rucksack (Den kulturelle skolesekken), which was established as a national scheme in 2001. This is a national initiative for professional art and culture in education in Norway with the following objectives: • •

•

to help to ensure that pupils in the primary and lower secondary schools are offered a professional arts and culture programme; to make it easier for primary and lower secondary school pupils to gain access to, make themselves familiar with and have a positive approach to art and cultural expression of all kinds; and to contribute to an overall incorporation of artistic and cultural expression in the realisation of the schools' learning objectives.

DKS is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education and Research and is primarily funded by profits from Norsk Tipping A/S (Norway's stateowned gaming company). N-38

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway 8.3.3 Intercultural education There are few or no specific programmes for intercultural Norwegian art education. Nevertheless, intercultural education is integrated into arts education in primary school, higher education and in voluntary art schools. 8.3.4 Higher arts education and professional training Regarding third-level arts education, there are major variations between the different art forms in terms of the training opportunities available. While there are several different institutions offering higher education in visual arts and music, there are fewer opportunities to train in the fields of literature, theatre, dance and film. Over the last few decades, the number of Norwegian students gaining an art education abroad has increased considerably, which has contributed to a large growth in the number of artists in Norway. As long as the economic basis for artistic work has not expanded proportionally, the expanding education of artists is seen as a problem by both artists' organisations and public authorities. At the same time, the growing numbers of artists who gain their professional training abroad means that the close links that have traditionally characterised the relationship between the arts education sector on the one hand and the art institutions on the other, not least in the theatre sector, are changing. However, artists who gain their professional training abroad have not been automatically accepted in the Norwegian labour market for art, although this discrimination seems to be declining in recent years. Higher arts education has been reorganised during the last decade in terms of the merger of various institutions in the field. The intentions of the state merger have been to enhance the available resources to help establish broader artistic professional environments and promote cooperation beyond disciplinary divisions. Both working artists and professionals in the existing art educational institutions have expressed scepticism in relation to these organisational reforms. In particular, critics have questioned whether the quality of the arts education and the specific needs of each art form are sufficiently considered within the new organisational frameworks. 8.3.5 Basic out of school arts and cultural education (music schools, heritage, etc.) The municipality schools of fine art make important contributions to the primary level of public arts education, which has been ongoing since the 1960s, and primarily started with a music education. On 5 June 1997, Norway formalised the municipality schools of fine art. The Act on Primary and Secondary Education, Section 13-6 states that: "All councils should, alone or in cooperation with other municipalities, have music / cultural offerings for children and young people organised in association with the school and other culture." Today, the municipality schools of fine art provide an art education to children as well as adults. A total of 109 000 children attend a cultural school (2010), which is 15% of all children in primary school.

8.4

Amateur arts, cultural associations and civil initiatives

8.4.1 Amateur arts and folk culture The culture sector in Norway is characterised by a wide range of NGOs, both in the amateur and professional sectors. Approximately 83% of all Norwegians hold a membership in one or several NGOs (see Table 10). In 2007, 8% of Norwegians were members of a band, choir or an amateur theatre ensemble, which is a decline of 2% since 1997. The numbers of active members are still at the same level (7%). Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-39

Norway The municipalities represent the most important source of support for amateur arts and culture. In addition to this, The Ministry of Culture administers a support scheme called the Frifond. Several youth organisations receive public support from the Frifond and the scheme also supports young people with creative ideas who are not members of an organisation. The application process is relatively easy, and all groups of three or more people may apply. In 2009, the Frifond distributed NOK 168 milion (EUR 19.3 million). The processing of applications and the allocation is done by three NGOs (The Council for Music Organisations in Norway, The Norwegian Theatre Council and The Norwegian Children and Youth Council) in accordance with the arms length principle. Table 10: Share of total population which holds a membership in one or several NGOs, 2007 Membership in a NGO Member of political party Member of a humanitarian organisation Member of women's organisations (only answered by women) Member of a concert / marching band, amateur choir, amateur theatre Member of a religious association Member of a disability organisation, patient association Member of a building society Member of community organisation or district association Member of sports clubs Member of an environmental organisation or historical society Member of an outdoor organisation Member of solidarity or human rights organisation Member of other associations or organisations Source:

in % 8% 16% 4% 8% 7% 5% 18% 19% 26% 5% 14% 6% 20%

Statistics Norway – Culture Statistics 2008.

8.4.2 Cultural houses and community cultural clubs There are a number of cultural venues within the voluntary cultural sector in Norway. One of the most important venues provided by the municipalities is the Children's Cultural Centres. There are a variety of cultural activities such as dramatic acts, bands, choirs, etc. 11% of girls and 24% of Norwegian boys between the ages of 16 to 24 visited such centres in 2007 (Source: Statistics Norway). Within religious organisations, there is a similar activity in which churches are used as venues for various cultural activities. A substantial proportion of Norwegians live in regions with a low density population. In such regions as well, people have access to cultural houses and related venues in many communities. 8.4.3 Associations of citizens, advocacy groups, NGOs, and advisory panels Many Norwegians are occupied in amateur arts organisations, either as amateur artists or as promoters of professional or semi-professional art. Many of these organisations also act as advocacy groups. The organisations are primarily financed by membership fees, and public support from all three government levels. There is a wide range of such organisations, and we have listed some important ones in Table 11.

N-40

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway Table 11: Selection of Norwegian NGOs, umbrella organisations and advocacy groups Organisation

Occupation

The Norwegian Folk Art and Craft Association (website) The Norwegian Choir Association (website) Norsk Sangerforum

Umbrella organisation for people and groups working with folk art and craft

Norges Kirkesangforbund (website) Norsk Amatørteaterforbund (website) The Norwegian Band Federation (website) Association of Live Music Promoters Norway (website) Norsk Jazzforum (website) Folkorg (website) Source:

Total groups

Total members 24 000

Umbrella organisation for amateur choirs Umbrella organisation for Amateur choir Umbrella organisation for Amateur choirs in churches

998

29 387

280

8 000

150

3 300

Umbrella organisation for amateur theatres

100

Umbrella organisation for marching bands and school bands Umbrella organisation for live music promoters, venues and music festivals in the pop and rock genre Umbrella organisation for jazz music promoters, advocacy group for jazz and jazz musicians Umbrella organisation and advocacy group for folk music and folk dance

1 700

66 000

242

-

154

Information collected from the corresponding organisations websites.

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-41

Norway

9.

Sources and links

9.1

Key documents on cultural policy

Main public documents and white papers: Kultur- og Kyrkjedepartementetkirkedepartementet: St.meld. nr. 22 (1999-2000) Kjelder til kunnskap og oppleving. Om arkiv, bibliotek og museum i ei IKT-tid og om bygningsmessige rammevilkår på kulturområdet (White Paper on archives, museums and libraries). Kultur- og Kyrkjedepartementet: St.meld. nr. 48 (2002-2003) Kulturpolitikk fram mot 2014. (White Paper on Cultural Policy issued by the Ministry of Culture). Kultur- og kirkedepartementet: St.meld. nr. 38 (2002-2003) Den kulturelle skulesekken (White Paper on The Cultural Rucksack). Kultur- og Kyrkjedepartementet: St.meld. nr. 22 (2004-2005) Kultur og næring. (White Paper on Culture and Business issued by the Ministry of Culture.). Kultur- og kirkedepartementet: St. meld. nr. 17 (2005-2006) 2008 som markeringsår for kulturelt mangfold. (White Paper on 2008 as the Norwegian Year of Cultural Diversity issued by the Ministry of Culture). Osland, Lidvin M. and Mangset, Per : Norwegian cultural policy. Characteristics and trends. Arts Council Norway, 1995. Introductory literature Mangset, Per: Kulturliv og forvaltning. Innføring i kulturpolitikk. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget., 1992. (Culture and public administration. An introduction to cultural policy). Vestheim, Geir : Kulturpolitikk i det moderne Noreg. Oslo: Det Norske Samlaget, 1995. (Cultural policy in modern Norway). Grundt, Jan: Kulturpolitikk er kunst. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget, 2008. (Cultural policy is art) Evaluations and research documents Borgen, J. S. og S. S. Brandt. (2006). Ekstraordinært eller selvfølgelig? Evaluering av Den kulturelle skolesekken i grunnskolen. Oslo: NIFU STEP. (Evaluation of The Cultural Rucksack). Heian, M. T., K. Løyland og P. Mangset. (2008). Kunstnernes aktivitet, arbeids- og inntektsforhold, 2006. Bø: Telemarksforskning-Bø. (Work and income conditions for Norwegian artist, 2006). Aagedal, O., H. Egeland og M. Villa. (2009). Lokalt kulturliv i endring. Oslo: Norsk kulturråd. (Reaserch project on local culture). Løyland, K., S. Hjelmbrekke, L. Håkonsen, T. E. Lunder og V. Ringstad. (2009). Evaluering av bokavtalen. Rapport, b. nr. 249. Bø: Telemarksforsking. (Evaluation of the Book-agreement). N-42

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

Norway

9.2

Key organisations and portals

Cultural policy making bodies Arts Council Norway http://www.kulturrad.no/ National Touring Exhibitions http://www.riksutstillinger.no/ Norwegian Archive, Library and Museum Authority http://www.abm-utvikling.no/ Rikskonsertene (The Norwegian Concert Institute) http://www.rikskonsertene.no/ The Ministry of Culture http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/kkd.html?id=545 The Norwegian Language Council http://www.sprakradet.no/ The Norwegian National Touring Theatre http://www.riksteatret.no/Flash/ Cultural research and statistics Statistics Norway http://www.ssb.no/ Telemark Research Institute http://www.telemarksforsking.no

Council of Europe/ERICarts, “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition“, 2012

N-43