Local and Regional Governments in Europe
CEMR_structures_and_competences_2016_EN
CEMR_structures_and_competences_2016_EN
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Norway<br />
Norway is a unitary state<br />
composed of municipalities (kommune)<br />
<strong>and</strong> counties (fylkeskommune)*.<br />
State structure<br />
unitary<br />
Number of<br />
Sub-national governments<br />
2012 2016<br />
LOCAL 430 428<br />
REGIONAL 19 19<br />
Capital city<br />
Oslo<br />
Population<br />
5,092,000<br />
Geographical size<br />
32,387 km²<br />
Currency<br />
Norwegian Krone (NOK)<br />
Vote<br />
non-compulsory<br />
<strong>Local</strong> level 428 municipalities (kommune)<br />
The local council (kommunestyret)<br />
is the municipality's deliberative<br />
body <strong>and</strong> is composed of councillors<br />
elected for four years from party<br />
lists via a system of proportional<br />
representation. The local council is the<br />
highest decision-mak<strong>in</strong>g body of the<br />
municipality <strong>and</strong> is <strong>in</strong> charge of local<br />
budgetary, f<strong>in</strong>ancial <strong>and</strong> plann<strong>in</strong>g<br />
issues.<br />
The executive committee<br />
(formannskap) is composed of<br />
members com<strong>in</strong>g from the different<br />
political parties, based on the results<br />
obta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> the last local election.<br />
The committee prepares decisions<br />
concern<strong>in</strong>g the local budget, as well<br />
as annual accounts <strong>and</strong> local taxes<br />
for the local council. It also makes<br />
decisions when it comes to less<br />
important or more urgent matters<br />
<strong>and</strong> monitors the adm<strong>in</strong>istration’s<br />
implementation of political decisions.<br />
The mayor (ordfører) is elected for<br />
a period of four years by <strong>and</strong> from<br />
with<strong>in</strong> the local council. He/she heads<br />
the council, chairs its meet<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>and</strong><br />
represents the municipality.<br />
Three of the larger cities, Oslo, Bergen<br />
<strong>and</strong> Tromsø, have a parliamentary<br />
system, whereby the local council<br />
elects a city government supported<br />
by a majority of councillors.<br />
The city government heads<br />
the local adm<strong>in</strong>istration, makes<br />
recommendations to the city council,<br />
<strong>and</strong> is responsible for carry<strong>in</strong>g out its<br />
decisions. Follow<strong>in</strong>g the 2015 local<br />
elections, Tromsø will return to the<br />
executive committee model by mid-<br />
2016.<br />
The capital city of Oslo is divided <strong>in</strong>to<br />
fifteen boroughs, each of which has a<br />
borough council, whose members are<br />
elected by direct universal suffrage.<br />
Competences<br />
• Child welfare<br />
• Primary <strong>and</strong> secondary education<br />
• Health care<br />
• Social services<br />
• Culture <strong>and</strong> leisure<br />
• Technical <strong>in</strong>frastructure<br />
• <strong>Local</strong> plann<strong>in</strong>g<br />
* See p.90<br />
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