RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE S/NGMTS/W /2/Add.6/Supp.1
23March 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-0619)
Original: English Negotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services
COMMUNICATION FROM NORWAY
Supplementary Information ontheNorwegian Response totheQuestionnaire
onMaritime Transport Services
Supplement
With reference todocument S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.6, thefollowing supplementary information
iscirculated attherequest ofNorway tomembers oftheNegotiating Group onMaritime Transport
Services.
II. Regulatory structure
Question 12(b).
Taxreimbursement scheme forNorwegian Seafarers
Inorder tofacilitate therecruitment totheNorwegian fleet ataxreimbursement scheme was
introduced in1993. Thescheme ismainly directed towards thecoastal/cabotage fleetwhich isexposed
tocompetition from neighbouring fleets which receive subsidies inoneform ortheother. InNorway
thecoastal/cabotage fleetserves asthemain entrance topractical maritime knowledge. Themaintenance
ofthisopportunity fortheseafarers isofvital importance forthecontinued existence ofNorway as
amaritime nation inthebroadest sense.
Parliament allocated 340million NOK tothescheme for1995. Thescheme issubject toa
number ofprovisions, themain onebeing thattheshipping industry itself must contribute withmeasures
with acorresponding value. These contributions have taken theform ofextending working hours while
theshipisinport, provision oftrainee positions foryoung recruits andpostponement ofagreed pension
schemes andwage negotiations.
Thetaxreimbursement scheme includes seafarers employed onships registered intheordinary
Norwegian register, NOR, andareliable toNorwegian taxation. Italsoencompasses seafarers on
ships intheNISregister iftheentire mandatory crew issubject toNorwegian taxation.
Question 14.
Anewpilotage system isunder implementation. Thesystem willbenon-discriminatory and
based onequal treatment criteria.
./.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.6/Supp.1
Page 2
Questions 29and30.
Thenational competition lawof11June 1993 entered intoforce on1January 1994. Thelaw
applies toallsectors andcontains general rules which prohibit ordescribe theconditions forlimitations
oncompetition unless exemptions aremade inother laws. Theonly exemption intheshipping sector
istheLinerConferencesActof8June1984.TheLinerConferenceActappliestointernationalshipping,
implements theUNCTAD Liner Code andexempts liner conferences from thecompetition law. The
application oftheliner conference actislimited geographically totrades between contracting parties
totheUNCTAD liner code.
Thenational competition lawapplies only totrades which have animpact ondomestic markets.
Question 31and32.
Thenational competition lawcontains noobligation tofileornotify agreements, however,
according topara6.1ofthecompetition lawtheNorwegian Competition Authority maydecide tooblige
parties tonotify rates inaspecific market inorder tomonitor thatmarket.
Question 33and34.
Thenational competition lawcontains nospecific provisions regarding independent rateaction.
Question 35.
Therelations between shippers andcarriers areregulated bymarket forces without Government
involvement.
Question 36.
Thecompetition lawcontains noparticular requirement astofreight ratenegotiations and
consultations.
EEA Agreement
TherelevantcompetitionarticlesintheEEA AgreementareArticles53and54whichcorrespond
toArticle 85and86intheEUTreaty. Inaddition theAgreement contains EUregulations 954/79
and4056/86.
TheEEA Agreement implies anobligation onnational authorities toimplement theprovisions
oftheAgreement andthemeasures taken bytheinstitutions pursuant thereto andtoensure thatthe
administration onnational competition lawdoes notprejudice thefullanduniform application ofthe
EEA competition rules.