Norwegian Post freezes shipments under 8,000 kroner to the United States, investment bank expects two interest rate cuts by April, and other news from Norway on Wednesday.
Norwegian Post halts low-value shipments to the US
The Norwegian Post (Posten) announced it will suspend shipments to the United States valued under 8,000 kroner (800 US dollars) starting August 22nd, following new US customs regulations introduced by the Trump administration.
The changes, effective since July 30th, eliminate the previous exemption from customs duties for packages worth less than 800 dollars.
Posten noted in a press release that postal companies across Europe are now collaborating to clarify requirements and develop solutions that comply with US customs authorities.
Exceptions remain for personal gifts under 100 dollars between private individuals and for shipments containing only documents.
DNB Carnegie forecasts two interest rate cuts by April
DNB Carnegie expects the central bank of Norway (Norges Bank) to cut its key policy rate twice before Easter, lowering it from today’s 4.25 percent to 3.75 percent, business newspaper e24 reported.
According to the investment bank’s semi-annual report, the cuts are likely to come in September and March, after which Norges Bank will hold back due to persistent inflation and strong wage growth.
Core inflation stood at 3.3 percent in July, still above the central bank’s 2 percent target.
DNB Carnegie projects inflation will gradually ease, reaching 2.9 percent in 2025 and stabilising around 2.5-2.6 percent in the years that follow.
Unemployment, currently 2.2 percent, is expected to remain stable before falling back to 2 percent by 2028.
Advertisement
Bird flu confirmed in Senja and Sortland
Highly pathogenic bird flu (H5N1) has been detected in seagulls in the municipalities of Senja in Troms and Sortland in Nordland, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority confirmed on Tuesday.
“This is not unexpected,” Hege Osen, section manager at the authority, said in a statement to the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK).
The virus has already been identified in Tromsø, and authorities report a growing number of sick and dead birds in several areas across Troms and Nordland.
Advertisement
One in three first-time conscripts in Norway is a woman
The share of women completing first-time military service in Norway has risen steadily over the past decade, reaching 32 percent in 2023.
When general conscription was introduced in 2014, just over 13 percent of new recruits were women.
Since then, the proportion has more than doubled.
“The introduction of general conscription has been a success. The fact that many of those conscripted are women strengthens both the Armed Forces and society,” Minister of Defense Tore O. Sandvik said in a press release.