Talking points for the speech
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Excellences, mesdames et messieurs, chers amis,

(Introduction)

• (My personal experience from studying in France).
• C’est pour moi un grand plaisir de participer à cette conférence. J’aimerais remercier la Chambre de Commerce Franco-Norvégienne, en particulier son Président Monsieur Eric-Jean Thomas et la directrice du bureau d’Oslo du CCFN, Madame Anne Afret, de m’avoir invité.
• Je suis très heureux de vous voir si nombreux, car nous partageons tous le même objectif: le renforcement des liens entre la Norvège et la France. Vous n’êtes certainement pas sans savoir combien j’ai plaisir à œuvrer dans ce but.
• Bien que vous sachiez, pour la plupart, manier la langue de Racine et de Molière avec aisance, je continuerai en anglais, afin de me faire comprendre de ceux d’entre vous qui avez choisi l’allemand comme deuxieme langue etrangère dans votre jeunesse.

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(On the “French brand”. Image. Public diplomacy)

• On image, brands, branding, etc – the theme of our time. On the connection between product and idea.
• The title of this conference is “Voulez-vous my French brand?”. This is an intriguing question, although as a consumer with a Francophile heart, I would be inclined to reply “oui, bien sûr!”
• It is important for me as Minister of Foreign Affairs to be aware of how we perceive each other. What do Norwegians and Frenchmen think of when they see something labelled “French” and “Norwegian” respectively? The question touches on both traditional and public diplomacy.
• As members of this Chamber of Commerce you all have some notion – an image – of Norway. However, in many circles, Norway’s image is rather weak. In fact: The problem with Norway is not that the image is bad – but that there is “no image”.
• Our main challenge is to make Norway’s image clearer, to work strategically to present Norway as an interesting and relevant partner on the international arena – and to ensure that Norway achieves and maintains a positive reputation. (Mention: Peer Gynt production in Central Park, New York, this week).
• Needless to say, this is important for our political image (“branding”), for civic society, and not least for Norwegian industry, both at home and abroad. You are all well aware of how damaging the loss of reputation can be for business, or for a country as a whole. Stereotypes.
• Much can be achieved by increasing knowledge about each other. From a Norwegian point of view, we have much ground to cover in France. We are well-known for some products – “Le saumon norvégien” being the prime example.
• It is far less known in France that Norway is the largest provider of gas to French households (one third, that is every third meal made by gas from Norway. . .).
• The importance of public diplomacy, of building a good and strong image of our country, has been recognised by this government – a fact that is reflected in the (increased) budgets for cultural activities abroad for next year.

European policy. France – Norway

• When I took office as minister of foreign affairs last year, it was my ambition to focus on Norway’s bilateral relations with our European friends and allies.
• Of course, the relations are good. They were in a pretty healthy condition already. Nevertheless, there is room for improvement.
• A stronger focus on bilateral relations with the EU member states is also a key element of the government’s European policy, as outlined in the white paper that was presented to the Storting on 16 June this year.
• France is a vital partner for Norway in Europe. A lot in common. The political dialogue is now intensified and strengthened.
• Firstly, because of its key role in the EU, and secondly, because of the importance we attach to our direct bilateral relations. Norway cooperates well with all member states, but our close relations with France seem to be of a special quality. (Norway – as a not EU-member – must work strategically in the EU countries’ capitals. The bilateral relations with EU countries).
• Furthermore, France is an important market for Norwegian business, as is Norway for French business. There may be few of us, but with a purchasing power that is one of the highest in the world, we count for many.

(Trade)

• This year (2006), in the period from January to August, we saw an increase in the value of Norwegian exports to France of more than seven per cent compared with the same period last year. This is, however, to a great extent due to high oil prices.
• Imports from France, on the other hand, have increased by an impressive 17.5 per cent, and this is mainly due to increased volume.
• Norwegian exports to France have been dominated by three product groups: oil and gas, seafood, and aluminium. (Generally: Trade between countries can seldom be “balanced”).
• Furthermore, a small number of products account for a large share of our exports, and in the case of the energy sector, only a very few commercial actors are involved on the Norwegian side. The picture on the French side is much more diverse.
• If we look at Norwegian investments, we observe a bit more diversification.
• One event last year attracted wide attention: Aker Yards bought the shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique from Alstom and became the employer of over 3 000 employees at the shipyard, and as many as 3 000 more in related activities. Aker Yards recently announced the construction of two new large cruise ships to be delivered from the St. Nazaire shipyard in 2009 and 2010. This was very good news for a vulnerable sector.
• We see other large industrial companies such as Norske Skog, Norsk Hydro, Yara and Schibsted investing in France as well, but only very limited investment is made in activities that are actually led by Norwegians.
• Unlike Norway, where French firms establish themselves with personnel as well as capital, Norwegian firms are not relocating employees to France. (A cultural challenge).
• Norway’s largest investor in France is, however, the Government Pension Fund Global, the former Petroleum Fund, which has 8 per cent of its total portfolio invested in the French market. This summer the value of these investments was approximately EUR 6 billion, making the fund a very considerable investor in the French stock market.

Then we have:

(Energy. The High North)

• A few words on cooperation in the energy field. Energy is at the top of the world’s political agenda.
• And it is an area where Norway and France have a longstanding relationship. We are all aware that our business relations date back to long before the petroleum era. French capital was crucial when Norsk Hydro was established in 1905. When oil was discovered in the North Sea, Norway had to consider how to organise its petroleum industry. It found inspiration in France, and ELF became a model for Statoil.
• Moreover, French companies and institutions such as l’Institut français du pétrole (IFP) played a crucial role in training Norwegian geologists in the early days of our petroleum industry.
• The first gas contract was negotiated in 1986. The Troll Agreement, which – as you all know - was named after the main gas field at the time, covered bilateral cooperation in many areas besides energy, such as education, research and culture.
• Since 1998, a large part of the Norwegian gas has been delivered through the new Franpipe pipeline, which arrives at Dunkerque.
• Today, more than a third of the total gas imports to France is supplied by Norway.
• Recent developments include Gaz de France and Total taking a 30 per cent share in the first gas field to be developed in the High North, the Snøhvit field in the Barents Sea.
• We are entering a new phase in our petroleum cooperation.
• The further development of resources in the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea, and later in the Barents Sea is an area of particular interest to both our countries.
• Total, Statoil and Norsk Hydro were all shortlisted as potential partners in the vast Russian Stockman gas field, which has been estimated to contain enough gas to cover France’s consumption for the next seventy years. The Russians have now decided (in their right, of course) to develop this field without foreign partners, but: it may still happen – I still believe that the Stockman field, and other fields on the Russian continental shelf in the north, will represent huge business opportunities for both Norwegian and French industry. Both countries’ industries in the front row – we must stay in touch.
• Last November, I had the pleasure of participating in a French-Norwegian seminar on the High North in Paris.
• It was the starting point for a dialogue between Norway and France about the development of the High North, and about energy in particular.
• In July, when Philippe Douste-Blazy, my French counterpart, visited Norway (Arendal), I proposed launching a dialogue on the foreign policy perspectives of current energy issues - a dialogue we are now developing a framework for.

(Innovation. Competitiveness)

• I have followed with great interest the steps taken by France to stimulate research and innovation to improve its competitiveness.
• France has developed cutting edge technology in several important sectors, both thanks to the dynamism of its flagship corporations, but also through government-sponsored programmes and public-private partnerships.
• In 2004 Raffarin government decided to stimulate the establishments of “pôles de competitivité”. Over two years, from 2005 to 2007, France will have established 66 “pôles de competitivité” - or business clusters - in order to create synergies between public and private research, and between educational and research institutions and industry.
• These centres receive public financing, are granted tax incentives, and have access expert advice. “Pôles de competitivité” have been established in fields as diverse as agriculture, aerodynamics, medicine and textiles. France is also establishing “pôles d’excellence” – thematically defined centres for advanced research and development in strategically important sectors.
• The Norwegian government has taken similar steps:
• In April we established six Norwegian centres of excellence, clusters of private sector companies in sectors such as maritime industry, microsystems, systems engineering, underwater technology and instrumentation.
• In June, we announced the establishment of 14 new centres for research-driven innovation in sectors such as oil and gas, marine biology, aquaculture and health.
• In the national budget proposal for 2007, government support for innovation has been further increased.
• I most definitely share the view that our future economic development will depend on Norway becoming even more dynamic, innovative and knowledge-based. This coincides with the key goals of the Lisbon strategy, which Norway supports whole-heartedly. A strong economy in Europe is not just favourable to the EU. Growth in Europe is for achieving increased prosperity and welfare in Norway as well. (Mention: Meeting with Foreign Minister Bildt last week on the development of the High North, industry, innovation, Norway – Sweden).
• I am convinced Norway and France can learn from each other by comparing how our countries seek to stimulate innovation and industrial renewal.
• There are obvious differences between our two countries, not least in terms of size, but I do not think that these differences should be an obstacle to cooperation on innovation. It seems to me that the French-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce and its member companies are very well positioned to explore how new French-Norwegian partnerships could be established in these areas.
• (A few words on: Mongstad. Latest decision by the Norwegian Government).

(Health, UNITAID. France – Norway)

• In the era of globalisation: Norwegian and French views often coincide on what we might term “the new parameters of foreign policy”. This gives us a basis for cooperation in important new fields. Common interests. I would like to mention two examples, both related to health:
• Firstly, France has broken new ground with its initiative to introduce an international solidarity contribution on airplane (seat) tickets – a modest taxation – and the establishment of UNITAID. Norway was one of the first countries to support this initiative. We are now participating actively in its practical implementation.
• Secondly, Norway has launched an initiative to investigate the links between (global) health and foreign policy.
• When I discussed this with my French colleague this summer, he immediately offered his support. Our premise is that health has a bearing on foreign policy, and that foreign policy cooperation can generate considerable added value in the health field.
• We want to improve the level of analysis and promote constructive international dialogue (awareness) in this field. This is why we have invited the foreign ministers of a number of countries to join us in an informal working group, in order to start such a process of reflection. I hope the working group will provide political impetus and help to mobilise the international community so that health issues are more systematically put on the foreign policy agenda. (Re: The meeting in New York/UN in September).

(Culture)

• Foreign policy – students/studying abroad – networking – platform for relations between people and countries.
• Cultural cooperation between Norway and France is of vital importance to communication and mutual understanding between our two countries. As well as playing an important role in its own right, it is often a gateway to cooperation in other spheres of public and social life, such as politics, economics, the media, etc. Literature and music are at the core of the French-Norwegian cultural cooperation.
• During the past years, the number of Norwegian books translated into French has increased rapidly: in 2005 alone, over 40 Norwegian titles were published. Over a period of five years, the number of contemporary Norwegian authors translated into French has risen from 1 to 40! Norwegian music - pop, rock, jazz, electronica and other contemporary music - is enjoying increased popularity in France:
• Last year, Norwegian musicians gave more than 180 concerts in France. That is one every second day. And right now, the Parisian audience is looking forward to Thomas Dybdahl’s next concert, including the French designer, Philippe Starck, who has designed the cover of his latest CD.
• Henrik Ibsen has, of course, been commemorated in France been in connection with the centennial of his death this year. (However: “Ibsen Year” is every year …).
• The commemoration, which has included literature, film, exhibitions, music and conferences, will conclude with seminars at the Sorbonne University and at the Théâtre de la Colline in Paris next month.

(Education. Concluding remarks)

• The governments of our two countries are planning to implement several measures to promote further cooperation in the field of research and education.
• We are fortunate to have a long tradition of student exchanges between Norway and France. Many young Norwegians have taken their baccalauréat in Rouen, Bayeux and Lyon, to name but the most well-known places.
• At university level, about 800 Norwegians are presently studying in France, a figure that has been stable for a number of years (should increase). The largest group is to be found in Toulouse, where most are studying economics and engineering.
• The number of French students in Norway is currently somewhat lower. However, we have seen a promising increase in recent years. For instance, in the period from 1999 to 2005, the number of French students participating in ERASMUS programmes in Norway has more than doubled - from 132 to 273. Than makes them the second largest group of foreign students in Norway, exceeded only by the Germans.
• There are several agreements on research cooperation - the most recent being the one signed in Paris last May between the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER) and the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (Havforskningsinstituttet).
• I would also like to mention the joint French-German research platform on Svalbard: The Alfred Wegner Institute and the Institut Polaire Français (AWIPEV) have established a year-round presence in Ny-Ålesund, the world’s northernmost permanent settlement. This is an Arctic platform for many long-term projects, notably in atmospheric sciences.
• Such collaboration and exchanges are fundamental to the long-term relations between our two countries. They are effective tools for stimulating interest in each other’s countries and cultures.
• In my view, increased emphasis on cooperation and exchange can only enhance our two national “brands”. Knowing each other from within provides a platform for both deeper and broader understanding.
• Studying in France has given many young Norwegians a solid foundation for their careers. I can only encourage the continued expansion of French-Norwegian cooperation, in a wide variety of fields. I am optimistic about the future of our bilateral relations, and I am sure this conference – and this French-Norwegian Day - will contribute to strengthening them. (Thank you).