International Trade committee  Of course we want free trade for all ships, but negotiations are always about giving and taking. That means we have to create winners on both sides, and this was the best result we could get in order to have an agreement. That's where we are today. Thank you.

International Trade committee  I'm sorry, I'm not in a position to answer that question.

International Trade committee  Maybe we'll go to the embassy first. We have a project-specific budget. That means that prior to a specific date every year we have to apply to the Minister of Trade and Industry in Norway to get funding for certain projects. It can be anything from fish farming to oil sands, b

International Trade committee  No, I'm sorry.

International Trade committee  I'm not sure if it's public, but if it's public, I will provide you with the information.

International Trade committee  Yes.

International Trade committee  Mr. Chairman, as a member of the EEA agreement, the EEA regulations regarding shipbuilding subsidies are applicable to Norway as a part of the EEA agreement. Until the end of 2000, it was possible for Norwegian shipyards to get 9% of the total value of the contract as a subsidy.

International Trade committee  I understand. Well, unfortunately, so far when we go from Canada to Norway, we have to go by other European destinations, and so far as I know, we do not know if there will be any direct routes between Norway and Canada. Hopefully, one day we will have some routes, but as it is t

International Trade committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don't want to go into any specific products here, because I think the agreement as such is made in order to create the potential for increased trade. As my colleague has mentioned, there are already several products being imported and exported at this

International Trade committee  It was part of the negotiations. As to what was proposed and where it ended up, I don't have a full overview, because parties presented proposals and counter-proposals, and so on. It was a process that ended up with the result you see today, with 15% for the most sensitive produc

International Trade committee  Mr. Chairman, first, on your question regarding the strategy of Norwegian shipyards, I don't want to go into depth on that, because it is a business-related issue and I think they have to answer in regard to their own strategy. But it's rather common that Norwegian shipyards or c

International Trade committee  To be honest, I don't feel I'm competent to answer such a question about further development. I think I will leave that open. We could ask the industry, of course, about this question, but for the time being, I don't think I'm in a position or competent to answer that question.

International Trade committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think it could be a fair comment, yes. If you have business-to-business relationships, there will be stronger relationships established between European businesses and Canadian businesses. That's how we see it. And that, of course, could facilitate la

International Trade committee  I must admit, I haven't seen anything. Of course, when we negotiate a free trade agreement, we do it on a rather broad basis. We involve all relevant partners in Norway, including labour unions, industry--

International Trade committee  I'm not sure. I cannot actually answer that question. If there is a study, I haven't seen it myself, so I am not able to answer the question.