The incoming Norwegian administration has appointed new ministers for trade and industry, and for fisheries and maritime affairs.
Bjørnar Skjæran is the new Minister of Fisheries and Marine Affairs. Deputy leader of the Labour Party, he is a farmer and a truck driver, and has been self-employed for almost all of his working life – but has been busy in politics on a full-time basis for the last ten years.
‘Where I come from, at the edge of the Helgeland coast, it is the sea that has always provided the greatest opportunities. The fishing and aquaculture industries generate enormous values,’ he said.
‘We will ensure that the sea’s resources continue to provide growing activity, greater value creation and more secure year-round jobs in strong local communities along the entire coast. We will lead the effort to stop plastic pollution in the sea. I look forward to taking on all the tasks that lie ahead of me.’
The new Minister of Trade and Industry is Jan Christian Vestre, who is business manager and owner of furniture manufacturer Vestre AS. He has previously been a political adviser to the Labour Party and a political adviser to the Ministry of Trade and Industry. He holds a law degree from the University of Oslo.
‘I want to work for the country and the business community to join forces to create more jobs, increase investment on the mainland and strengthen exports,’ Jan Christian Vestre said.
‘Norway is a proud industrial nation with a great ability to adapt, so we have a solid basis for creating green growth.’
Bjørnar Skjæran is the new Minister of Fisheries and Marine Affairs. Image: Nordland Arbeiderparti
