All posts by Margrethe Harboe

U.S. Chamber to Administration: Small Businesses Need Immediate Relief from Tariffs

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Chamber sent a letter asking the administration to address the impacts of tariffs by granting automatic exclusions for any small business importer, establishing a process for companies to apply for an exclusion if the company can demonstrate that tariffs pose a risk to employment for American workers, and providing exclusions for all products that cannot be produced in the United States or are not readily available.

“The Chamber supports many of the President’s policy goals, including eliminating unfair trade and non-trade barriers, and driving American investment. At the same time, we have heard from a historic number of small businesses who have made it clear: they need immediate relief from tariffs,” said Suzanne P. Clark, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “As each day goes by, small businesses are increasingly endangered by higher costs and interrupted supply chains that will cause irreparable harm. We applaud the administration’s efforts to negotiate as many new trade agreements as possible that expand market access for U.S. companies and benefit American workers, but these deals take time, and many businesses simply can’t afford to wait while negotiations proceed.”

Read full article.

AmCham Journalist Wine Tasting: Red, White & New

AmCham Journalist Wine Tasting: Red, White & New

There, member importers EngelstadPalmer GroupRobert Prizelius, Tramontane, VCT, and West Coast Wines presented over 60 unique vintages currently on the Norwegian market, including newly launched products. In addition, AmCham proudly presented four wines not (yet) available in Norway. The tasting accurately represented California’s 89% share of US wine production, while still allowing guests to experience the different terroirs found in Oregon and Washington.

AmCham Wine Committee – Thriving on Connections

Through the collective strength of our members in our designated Wine Committee, AmCham works to increase market share of US wines in Norway, addressing trade barriers, ensuring a favorable policy environment, and educating on critical wine industry issues. Increasing awareness and competence on varying US wine regions amongst industry professionals and consumers is a key priority.

AmCham members’ shared passion for US wines brings together business leaders across industries, bonding over a common interest and sets a stage for potential new partnerships and collaborations.

Past Tastings

Halliburton announces tariff impact on drilling, frac operations

(Bloomberg) – Halliburton Co., the world’s largest provider of hydraulic fracturing services, fell sharply after warning investors that tariffs will impact a wide swath of the company’s business units.

The dominant North American oil field services provider told investors Tuesday on a conference call that tariffs will have an impact of 2 to 3 cents per share during the second quarter, with 60% of the hit affecting its completions-and-production unit, which houses the fracing business. The rest of the tariffs impact will be to its drilling and evaluation segment.

The shares, which have lost about quarter of their value this year, fell 5.8% at 11:54 a.m. in New York. While customers are still digesting the latest tariff news and evaluating their drilling plans, they’re better prepared to weather an industry downturn than they were in the past, Chief Executive Officer Jeff Miller said on the call.

Read full article.

Viste fram Norges første nye supermissil JSM og markerte at alle 52 F-35 kampfly er levert

– Norge er første land som har fått levert alle sine planlagte F-35. Anskaffelsen er en suksesshistorie. I dag har dessuten Forsvaret fått sitt første supermissil fra Forsvarsmateriell og KDA. Nå starter arbeidet med å fylle opp lagrene her på Ørland med JSM-missilet, sier forsvarsminister Tore O. Sandvik som deltok på markeringen på Ørland flystasjon.

– Kampflyene har blitt levert på tid og F-35 leverer bedre enn forventet. Det er et resultat av et formidabelt arbeid over mange år i store deler av forsvarssektoren. F-35 er en kapasitet som gjør hele Forsvaret bedre, sier forsvarsministeren.

Les hele artikkelen.

Norway Approves Tesla’s FSD Testing on Public Roads; Potential for Europe-Wide Deployment

According to filings found by Kees Roelandschap on X, Tesla has obtained a 2-year exemption from UNECE autonomy regulations to run FSD Supervised on public roads in Norway. This marks one of the first positive developments for regulations and autonomy in Europe — great news for European customers.

Previously, European transportation agencies stressed additional caution and requested more time to legislate, further delaying the widespread UNECE regulation changes for autonomous vehicles.

Read full article here.

Zero-Emission Requirements for Passenger Ships in World Heritage Fjords

On behalf of the Ministry of Climate and Environment, the Norwegian Maritime Authority has enacted requirements for zero-emission from tourist ships and ferries in the World Heritage fjords.

‘This is an important breakthrough for our World Heritage fjords. The zero-emission requirement will contribute to technological development and lower emissions, while also ensuring that the spectacular World Heritage fjords remain attractive tourist destinations’, said Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen.

Norge har store handelsbarrierer på legemidler – hva gjør vi med det?

Donald Trump gjennomfører nå en dramatisk omlegging av amerikansk handelspolitikk. Han kaller det en «gjensidig» tollpolitikk. Mens norske politikere er vant til å forsvare skyhøy toll på matvarer, står de nå overfor en ny utfordring. Nå peker USA også på norske legemiddelpriser som en alvorlig handelsbarriere – produkter som Norge i stor grad importerer fra amerikanske selskaper.

Prinsippet er enkelt, nesten brutalt: Det andre land gjør mot USA, skal USA gjøre tilbake. Likevel er ikke Trumps nye tollsatser basert på faktiske satser andre land har satt mot amerikanske varer, men snarere på summen av det Trump-administrasjonen mener er handelsbarrierer som hindrer amerikansk eksport. Dette er en radikal og dramatisk dreining av handelspolitikken.

Les hele innlegget her.

Statsminister Støre møter president Trump

Statsminister Jonas Gahr Støre møter USAs president Donald Trump i Det hvite hus torsdag 24. april. Finansminister Jens Stoltenberg deltar også i møtet.

– Jeg ser frem til å møte president Donald Trump i Washington D.C. på torsdag. Det er sterke bånd mellom USA og Norge. USA er vår viktigste allierte, og i en urolig og krevende sikkerhetspolitisk tid, er den nære kontakten mellom våre to land svært viktig, sier statsminister Jonas Gahr Støre.

Møtet vil blant annet handle om den sikkerhetspolitiske situasjonen, Nato og krigen i Ukraina, samt handel og næringsliv.

– Norge og USA samarbeider på en rekke områder, og USA er en viktig handelspartner for Norge. Jeg ser frem til å snakke om områder der vi kan samarbeide enda tettere fremover, sier Støre.

Les hele artikkelen.

Norway’s offshore wind suppliers remain committed to US market

Despite uncertainty about US markets, one thing is for sure: Norwegian companies still believe in both short-term and long-term opportunities in US offshore wind.

Norwegian offshore wind suppliers, including Autronica, DOF and Uptime International, are forging ahead with plans to expand their activities in the US.

New offshore wind technology to be introduced

DOF plans to launch new offshore wind technology in the US by Q4 2025. The company has made a strategic decision and financial commitment to build a new cable lay quadrant handling system for the installation and repair of inter-array cables. DOF has designed the system to fit on several of its vessels for North Sea and US East Coast projects.

Read full article.

Norway Is the First Country to Fill All Its F-35 Lightning Orders

With its F-35s in hand, Norway is now well equipped to defend its skies aerially.


Earlier this month, Norway became the first Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) partner nation to fulfill its F-35 program of record. Upon completing the delivery of the fifty-first and fifty-second F-35As to the Royal Norwegian Air Force, Norway is now well equipped to defend its skies aerially. Norwegian minister of finance Tore O. Sanvik noted that “The aircraft ensure that we can safeguard Norwegian sovereignty and maintain even better control over our areas on land, at sea and in the air.” Other Norwegian officials mirrored this rhetoric, adding that the sophistication of the fifth-generation fighter will undoubtedly play a critical role in supporting NATO missions.

Read full article.