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International Newsletter 2/15
InternationalNewsletter
2/15
| International Newsletter 2/20152
Hordaland County Council is responsible for county policies within the follow-ing fields: Higher secondary education, cultural affairs, public transport, dental health, economic development and regional planning, including the development of the road system.
Hordaland County Council is involved in many international projects and activi-ties. Our region has signed cooperation agreements with several partner regions abroad. The «Hordaland class» programme gives an opportunity for Upper secondary school students in Hordaland, to study in several of these partner regions for one school year. We also cooperate with other countries as a member of European organisations. The County Mayor of Hordaland has been elected as president of the North Sea Commission and the NSC secretariat has been set up in Hordaland. We are also member of West Norway Office, one of six Norwegian regional offices in Brussels. EU-programmes such as Interreg and Erasmus+ are among the most important tools for internationalisation in Hordaland.
Hordaland County Council publishes an International Newsletter twice a year, giving you a short introduction to the county’s international activities over the previous six months. The list is not extensive, but nevertheless we hope it gives an idea of the breadth of international activities that take place within our region.
All photos are produced by Hordaland County Council, unless otherwise stated.For more information: www.hordaland.no/internasjonaltEditor: [email protected]
Front page: Finnish pupils visited Hordaland in November 2015, in connection with the Erasmus+ strategic partnership project “The City Rings“, coordinated by Laksevåg Upper Secondary School. More about the project on page 14. Photographer: Helge Jellestad.
Contents1. Our partner regions 3
2. Cooperation through European organisations 9
3. Projects 11
4. Youth and internationalisation 14
5. West Norway Office in Brussels 20
6. Other activities 21
International Newsletter 2/2015 | 3
1. Our partner regionsBasse-Normandie, France
Normandy circus group touring Hordaland
How can one find his own place in a continuously moving world? This autumn a French circus group visited schools in Hordaland with their performance “Who am I?” and the pupils liked what they saw.
Based on the cooperation agreement between Hord-aland County Council and Region Basse-Normandie, French artists visit schools in Hordaland every year. This is part of the regular art and culture programme in the schools. This school year the circus group El Nucleo was sent on tour. They had a lot of acrobatic workshops and showed the performance Quien Soy – Who am I?
Questions make us alive
Who am I when everything is changing? How can one find his or her own place in a maze of information, data, signs? These questions might be too big. The artists Wilmer Marquez and Edward Aleman pose the questions, and are not looking for answers: –The questions are what make us alive, it gets us totally committed, body and mind.
Pupils from lower secondary schools in Os, Stord and Fusa municipalities saw this performance and partici-pated in the workshops with wild enthusiasm.
Contact: [email protected]
Thank you to Basse-Normandie for years of good partnership
From 1st January 2016 our cooperation region Basse-Normandie will merge with Haute-Nomandie into one big region “Normandie”. New possibilities will rise for further bilateral collaboration.
True to the tradition, a delegation from Hordaland County Council headed by Vice County Mayor Pål Kårbø, visited our cooperation region Basse-Nor-mandie during the Boréales Festival in Caen 12th–15th November. This visit was characterised by the fact that from 1st January 2016, Basse-Normandie merges with Haute-Normandie into one region: Normandie. This means a new political and administrative regime. The main focus of the visit was therefor to sum up, reaffirm the achievements so far and look into possibilities within the new region.
Arena for dialogue
The Department of European Affairs and International Relations in Basse-Normandie, headed by Vice Mayor Annie Anne, facilitated several arenas for fruitful and informative dialogue meetings. The meetings confirmed a strong conviction that our trans-regional activities will continue and develop in the years to come. Normandy circus group El Nucleo in action.
Photographer: Os og Fusaposten/ Benjamin Søgnen Olsen.
From the left, President of Basse-Normandie Laurent Beauvais and Vice County Mayor of Hordaland Pål Kårbø.
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The cooperation has until now been especially suc-cessful within the cultural and educational field, e.g. exchange of artists in residence and the foundation of the “Hordaland class” (see also page 6). To broaden the cooperation, both regions focused on the possibility for extended use of different European programmes as instruments for exchange of best practice and sustainable regional development.
Successful partnership
Conseil Régional de Basse-Normandie and Hordaland County Council signed a cooperation agreement in 1993. To show our appreciation for the strong partnership, Hordaland County Council hosted a dinner for politicians and professionals in Basse-Normandie. Vice County Mayor Pål Kårbø especially underlined the important role of President Laurent Beauvais and Vice Mayor for International Relations, Annie Anne. Their engagement and the ongoing trans-regional cooperation have made a solid foundation for success-ful partnership. This also includes several visits they have made to Hordaland over the years. Hordaland is now looking forward to see what the cooperation with the new Normandie region will bring.
Contact: [email protected]
Orkney Islands, Scotland A delegation from Hordaland County Council visited Orkney Islands for the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in December. The annual visit to Orkney is always a special event, celebrating the close rela-tions and the historic ties between the two regions.
Common history
Orkney and Norway have a long-lasting common history, all the way back to when the Vikings settled on the islands in the 8th Century. The Norwegian earls governed Orkney for several centuries. The most visible trace of the Viking presence is the grand St. Magnus Cathedral. The cathedral was raised to honour the saint Magnus Erlendsson, Norwegian Earl of Orkney at the start of the 12th Century. The St. Mag-nus Cathedral was the venue for most of the events during the Christmas Tree Lighting week.
Christmas tree lighting
On 5th December the Christmas tree, which is a gift from Hordaland County Council, was lit outside the Cathedral. This year it was Beate Husa, Chairman of the Committee for Culture, Sports and Regional Development in Hordaland who lit the tree, accompa-
nied by Convener of Orkney Islands, Steven Heddle. During the ceremony there were Christmas carols, music and speeches. Convener Steven Heddle and Chair Beate Husa both emphasized the importance of the friendship and collaboration between the two regions. A common theme was the difficult times in parts of the world, especially the refugee crisis in the Middle East.
Artistic gift
A trio of musicians from Hordaland with Edward Mjanger, Harald Kvasnes and Gjermund Fredheim visited several primary schools and performed concerts for the pupils. The annual school concerts are a much appreciated artistic gift from Hordaland to the people of Orkney. The musicians also performed a medley during the Saturday church service, and they had a concert with the Mayfield Singers in the St. Magnus Cathedral on Sunday.
In 2017 Orkney Islands will celebrate the 900 year Anniversary of St. Magnus with a whole range of events throughout the year.
Contact: [email protected]
Surrounded by two guards in Kirkwall, Convener of Orkney Islands Steven Heddle and Beate Husa, Chairman of the Committee for Culture, Sports and Regional Development in Hordaland.
Beate Husa and Norwegian Consul Leslie Burgher at ”The Ring of Brodgar”, part of the UNESCO heritage site Heart of Neolithic Orkney.
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Kaunas, LithuaniaCapacity building in management and efficient public services
This autumn, Lithuanian Regional Research institute in Kaunas received EEA grants for a project between Norwegian and Lithuanian partners. Activities will start spring 2016.
The EEA project “Development of the Capacities of Local Authorities Employees in the Field of Manage-ment and Efficiency of Public Service Processes” has been approved. The key objectives of the project are:– to strengthen cooperation among Lithuanian and
Norwegian local authorities in the field of managing the processes of public services and enhancing their efficiency,
– to combate corruption in order to improve the level of administrative capacities of local authority employees by promoting higher transparency of the management and efficiency of the activities and of local authorities.
Among the partners are Hordaland County Council, Kaunas City Municipality, and other local municipalities in Hordaland and Kaunas.
Contact: [email protected]
Cardiff, Wales
Contact: [email protected]
Thüringen, Germany
The Hordaland class in Thüringen
Askøy Upper Secondary School has coordinated the annual Hordaland classes in Thüringen since 2007. In the school year 2015–2016 there is a class of nine Electro students at Andreas Gordon Schule, and one class of eight pupils within General studies at Albert Schweitzer Gymnasium.
Electro studies
Nine Electro students started at Andreas Gordon Schule in Erfurt at the beginning of November. They have had practice during two weeks in different enter-
The EEA and Norway Grants The EEA Grants and Norway Grants represent the contribution of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to reducing economic and social disparities and to strengthening bilateral relations with 16 EU countries in Central and Southern Europe. The funding is targeted on areas where there are clear needs in the beneficiary countries and that are in line with national priorities and wider European goals.
Funds are set aside in all beneficiary countries to support networking, knowledge exchange and foster project partnerships on initiatives of mutual interest. The EEA Grants and Norway Grants are set up for five-year periods.
The Hordaland Class in Wales, in front of Baskerville Hall in Hay-on-Wye.
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prises. They adjusted parts of press machines which will be sent to China. They also had tasks like con-trolling traffic lights and installing Christmas lights. In addition they have been working at the Bosch train-ing centre and have done household installation work for a family enterprise. In 2016 they will be engaged in a new practice period, while the main education activities will be at the Andreas Gordon School in Er-furt. They will attend classes on two different levels, “diving” more into the theory of electro.
The pupils are having a good time in Germany. Already after a few weeks they felt they managed the German language better and they have already good contact with the other pupils and apprentices. They are enjoying leisure activities, like billiard and table tennis competitions on campus. They train at a training centre and have visited the famous Oberhof Skihall.
General studies
Eight pupils studying General studies have been work-ing hard at school this semester and they are almost fluent in German now. The school, Albert Schweitzer Gymnasium, is a good cooperation partner and does everything to assist the Norwegian pupils.
The Norwegian students have got to know many new people and they have already been on weekend trips to Nürnberg and Berlin. During their free-time the pupils do various kinds of sport and play music in a band, and they enjoy being together with the group.
Contact: [email protected]
Hordaland classHordaland class is an exchange programme open to all students from Hordaland who have completed the first year of upper secondary school (Vg1) within specialisation in General studies, Electronics or Equestrian- and Farrier studies. After the school year abroad the students return to Hordaland and go straight into the final school year (Vg3) or into practice (Electronics or Equestrian studies).
Cooperative countriesFive secondary schools in Hordaland coordinate the “Hordaland class” programme and follow-up the students abroad. The second year students attend schools in:
How many? 71 “Hordaland class” students spent their Vg2 school year abroad during the school semester 2015-16.
• Cardiff, Wales (13 students)• Erfurt, Germany (17 students)• Basse-Normandie, France (11 students)• Bábolna, Hungary (5 students) • Missouri, USA (25 students)
Why? The aim of the “Hordaland class” programme is to give students in Hordaland the opportunity to live and go to school abroad. Increased knowledge of languages, inter-cultural competence and new friendships and network will equip the students with highly valuable skills regarding the global and multicultural society.
Contact: [email protected]
The Hordaland Electro class in Thüringen.
The Hordaland General studies class in Thüringen.
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Thüringen delegation in Hordaland
Long time cooperation partner in Thüringen, Technical University of Ilmenau, visited old and new partners in Hordaland. On top of the agenda were discussions about future exchange of apprentices and cooperation within higher education.
Since the early 1990s there has been close coopera-tion between Technical University of Ilmenau (TUI) in Thuringen, Hordaland County Council (HCC) and other actors in Hordaland. After some years with a lower activity level, Frank March and Sigrid Wille from TUI – International Office visited Hordaland in August 2015, to revitalise the cooperation.
Hordaland County Council, International Services, set up a programme to visit both old and new cooperation partners mainly within education, economic develop-ment and exchange of apprentices and students.
Exchange of apprentices
They started with a meeting with Department of Edu-cation in Hordaland County Council on how to facilitate mutual exchange of apprentices. In times of industry restructuring in Hordaland, a practice period from German industry and administrative bodies will be particularly relevant and fruitful.
Visit to Osterøy
It was also a must to visit longtime partners in Osterøy; the Industrial Consultant Lars Mjøs, Osterøy Upper Secondary School, Centre for CNC and Robotics and some Osterøy companies. The cooperation has in particular been concentrated on mutual exchange of apprentices and pupils. At the meeting in Mjøsvågen
they also got information about the project ”Compe-tence development within the Hordaland CNC and robotics cluster”. A cooperation in this field may be a possibility in future.
Higher education
Our partners from Thüringen wanted to extend their network towards higher education.
Due to the need to restructure the business sector in Hordaland, cooperation between our higher education-al institutions is a pressing issue.
At the University in Bergen they had fruitful dialogue on international student mobility and the exchange of international employees between universities and facilitating placements for apprentices. “The International week for employees” at universities could be a common ground for cooperation. The meeting at University College in Bergen lay a foundation for a possible mutual exchange of students and staff within relevant fields, and has already resulted in a follow-up visit to TUI in November.
Visit to Askøy
Askøy Upper Secondary School is coordinator for the two ”Hordaland classes” in Thuringia, see page 6. The school has for many years cooperated with the International Office at TUI, by hosting ICT apprentices from Thuringen. The school wants to develop further the German dimension, and to be a resource within German language and German–Norwegian. The school library even has a German librarian, and the two visitors were introduced to the Norwegian education – in German.
Contact: [email protected]
Signe Knappskog, Service Center for International Mobility, University in Bergen, and Frank March from Technical University of Ilmenau.
The Thüringen delegation at the Centre for CNC and Robotic/Osterøy Upper Secondary School.
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Edinburgh, ScotlandSusan Boyle lit the Hordaland Christmas tree
The lighting of the Christmas tree and the Royal Norwegian Advent Concert at St Giles Cathedral are annual celebrations of good cooperation between Edinburgh and Hordaland. This year the famous Scottish singer Susan Boyle had the honor of light-ing the Christmas tree, a gift from Hordaland to the people of Edinburgh.
The tree has been an annual symbol of thanks for the help Scotland gave to Norway, and especially Hordaland, during the Second World War.
The Norwegian government was in exile in London from 1940 and Scotland, as a close neighbour to the Western part of Norway, was an important ally taking in ships and sea-farers and offering support.
Tens of thousands of people gathered in the middle of Edinburgh and watched the lighting of the Christmas tree on the Mound. Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh Donald Wilson and Vice County Mayor of Hordaland Pål Kårbø, were interviewed on stage by Forth Radio reporter Arlene Stuart. They talked about the historical and cultural ties between Edinburgh and Hordaland. Afterwards Susan Boyle sang Silent Night together with the Edinburgh public, accompanied by the Hordaland musicians Trio Vibrazzo.
Advent concert
Trio Vibrazzo is located in Bergen where the three brass musicians studied together at the Grieg Acade-
my. Trio Vibrazzo performed the following day at the Royal Norwegian Advent Concert in St Giles Cathedral, together with the Scottish choir Schola Cantorum of Edinburgh, conducted by Eric von Ibler. This Advent Concert is now firmly established as a strong annual tradition, and people were queuing outside the cathe-dral in order to secure a place in the packed church.
Several professional meetings have taken place to discuss future cooperation projects, in the field of education, energy efficiency in buildings, aquaculture and cultural heritage. The Norwegian Consulate General in Edinburgh plays an important role in supporting and building further on the links between Hordaland and Scotland.
Contact: [email protected]
Scots to forge aquaculture links with Bergen
Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh Donald Wilson, and Vice County Mayor of Hordaland Pål Kårbø.
Trio Vibrazzo in St Giles Cathedral, from the left: Elise Fagerli (trumpet), Guro Strand (tuba) and Iselin Lande (horn).
FAXIMILE “Fish Farming Expert” (07.12.2015), the most important English language trade magazine on the topic of fish farming: www.fishfarmin-gexpert.com/news/scots-to-forge-aquacultural-links-with-bergen/
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2. Cooperation through European organisations
North Sea Commission North Sea Commission (NSC) is a cooperation platform for regional governments around the North Sea and is part of the wider European think tank, Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe. Former County Mayor in Hordaland, Tom-Christer Nilsen, held the position of President during 2015 and Hordaland hosts the Secretariat for the organisation. The second half of the year has been largely dedicated to furthering NSC political issues in Brussels and in member countries as well as concentrating on some internal organisational processes.
Assen Declaration
The NSC AGM adopted the Assen Declararation in June. This declaration has been a guiding document for the Secretariat’s work this autumn. Each member state and relevant EU Directorate Generals have received a copy in addition to the relevant Dutch Min-istries for the Dutch Presidency of EU (Jan–Jun 2016). NSC has come some way in achieving their goals with the Declaration – North Sea Grid Initiative will be continued and there will be an event in February highlighting cooperation and financial instruments with CPMR. DG MARE is planning a second event under the Parliamentary Preparatory Action which will bring together themes of cooperation, projects, finance and governance.
NSGOCI conference, Oostende October 2015
North Seas Countries’ Offshore Grid Initiative (NSCOGI), is a collaboration project between EU mem-ber-states and Norway on the creation of an integrated offshore energy grid which links wind farms and other renewable energy sources across the northern seas of Europe. NSC President, Tom-Christer Nilsen, attended this event which brought representatives from industry and government together in order to discuss what has been achieved in the project’s lifetime and to find out what steps need to be taken in the future. The President moderated a panel session between financial, scientific and offshore wind industry experts.NSC president Tom Christer Nilsen (left) meets Maroš Šefčovič, vice
president of the European Commission responsible for the Energy Union.
”Emission Impossible” workshop during Open Days in Brussels, with on the left Nelson Rojas from HOG Energy, and on the right Kate Clarke and Camilla Stavnes from NSC Secretariat. Photo: European Commission.
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Open Days workshop
NSC arranged a workshop on sustainable transport at Committee of the Regions Meeting Place during Open Days in Brussels in October. The workshop highlighted the bridge between policy and Interreg projects within the transport sector and politicians from around the North Sea discussed how Interreg projects contribute to long-term strategic aims and policies within their regions. HOG Energi from Hordaland presented the project Baltic Bio Bus as one of four different Interreg projects. HOG Energi focused on an innovative public procurement process for demonstration projects, which was picked up on and reported by EurActiv.
ExCom and workshop
A workshop was also organised for Executive Committee members in Brussels the day before the ExCom meeting. Members discussed the possible benefits and drawbacks of establishing a permanent NSC Secretariat in Brussels at CPMR head office. The ExCom decided officially at the meeting the next day not to pursue this line any further and business as usual with a rotating Secretariat based in the region of the President was reaffirmed.
The possibility of reorganising the NSC working groups was also examined and many were in favour of aligning the groups more closely to goals of the NSC 2020 strategy.
Revision of NSC 2020 strategy
NSC Secretariat is currently revising the NSC 2020 strategy. The idea is to check that the strategy is up to date in the new policy context and still aligned with the work of the organisation. As part of the process the organisation of the working groups will also be examined and a report “North Sea in Numbers” has been commissoned.
CPMR General Assembly, Florence
NSC membership was well represented at the CPMR General Assembly in Florence in November. Vice President, Kerstin Brunnström, held a short intervention regarding Integrated Maritime Policy and blue growth.
Working groups
Each working group has held a meeting during the autumn 2015 and advisors were invited to attend the workshop for ExCom where group reorganisation was discussed. Several of the advisors have held their po-sition and run their groups for several years and have invaluable input for this process.
New website and logos
2016 will see the launch of the new website under the CPMR umbrella site. New logos and a new profile for the organisation is under development to coincide with the launch. www.northsea.org/
Contact: [email protected]
North Seas Countries Offshore Grid Initiative (NSCOGI), is a collaboration project between EU member-states and Norway on the creation of an integrated offshore energy grid which links wind farms and other renewable energy sources across the northern seas of Europe.
Discussions following NSC workshop.
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3. Projects
Interreg IV B – North Sea RegionUpdate from National Contact Point for Interreg North Sea Region Programme VB
Hordaland County Council hosts the National Contact Point for North Sea Region Programme. The contact point is part of a network of all participating countries in the programme area and gives support and advice to Norwegian project applicants and project participants.
The programme launched the first call for project applications this autumn. For the first time project applicants could also apply under phase one and submit an Expression of Interest. These applications are much shorter and simpler and allow applicants to get feedback for further development. 25 such project applications were asked to submit a full application for further consideration. In addition 12 full projects were approved and aproximately 27 million Euro was allocated following the first meeting of the Steering Committee in November 2015. Norwegian partners are very active in the programme area and 5 of the full projects included Norwegian partners. The Municipali-ty of Bergen will participate in ”SHARE-North: Shared Mobility Solutions for a Liveable and Low-Carbon North Sea Region” with programme funding.
Contact: [email protected]
Interreg IV B – Northern Periphery and Arctic program area
Craft Reach projectThe new Économusée entrant, Oleana in Hordaland, was invited by the Norwegian Prime Minister as the only Norwegian participant to a high-level conference on creative business ideas and growth in Iceland. A total of nine Prime Ministers and their representatives participated.
By the end of the current project, the Économusée Northern Europe network will have nearly sixty artisan members in 8 countries. This is a fantastic target for the work over the next three years. The next joint session for the partners, in Galway in January 2016 will feature a special briefing session on the Social Economy.
Prime Minister David Cameron and Signe Aarhus from new Économusée entrant, Oleana in Hordaland.
ÉconomuséeAn Économusée business:- uses a traditional craft technique in its production.- opens its doors to the public in order to promote its
know-how and its craft people.- aims to be completely economically sustainable
through its business operations, the cultural heritage status and the increased numbers of visitors looking for cultural experiences and learning. www.economusee.eu/
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Using experts and case studies the project hopes to inform partners of the opportunities for drawing on local community resources in ways not often deployed in partner regions. The project aims to provide opportunities to bridge the gap between actual artisan businesses and local interests, drawing artisans more closely into the communities and also opening a creative dialogue with community groups.
–As our craft businesses very often are so closely linked to the actual heritage of their local communi-ties, the social economy might be one way of drawing on local knowledge. Working with those who have lived a while, who have a bit more time on their hands and who are keen to share their knowledge, could be another approach to integrating craft businesses with their local area, says project leader Terje Inderhaug.
Hordaland County Council has been Lead Partner in the Économusée-project during almost fifteen years, and now it is administrated by The Royal Norwegian Society in Western Norway (“Norges Vel”). Terje Inderhaug brought the concept Économusée from Canada to Europe. The project has been financed through three Interreg programme periods.
Contact: [email protected]
Erasmus+ Staff Mobility projects
Springtime is the most popular season for carrying out staff mobility projects. After a busy first part of the year 2015 with 41 mobilities, this autumn 11 staff/in-structors visited partners in Germany, Sweden, Finland and Denmark to enhance their competences and skills. This includes partners from Hordaland County Council, Upper Secondary Schools, municipalities, libraries and the business sector. Project topics have been: innovation in the agro/food sector; readjustment challenges in the industrial and educational field, use of the library as a tool for linguis-tic integration and enhancing seniors’ ICT-skills.
Below two examples of the successful staff mobility projects autumn 2015.
Contact: [email protected]
Gastronomy cooperationIn connection to the application of Bergen to become part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), a Bergen-Hordaland delegation visited the Swedish UCCN Gastronomy City Øster-sund in October. In December the City of Bergen was designated UNESCO City of Gastronomy!
A common objective for all UCCN Cities is: placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans at the local level and cooperating actively at the international level. With the support of the Erasmus+ programme, the Bergen-Hordaland del-egation visited Østersund, UNESCO Gastronomy City since 2010, and learned about their experiences with the UCCN network. Hordaland County Council and the Region Jämtland and Härejedalen had already before the visit established contact. The Norwegian delega-tion consisted of Ruth Rørvik from Bergen Municipality, Alexandra Krage Angell from the enterprise Matarena A/S and Heidi Bjønnes Larsen from Hordaland County Council.
The delegation had meetings with representatives from Region Jämtland og Herjedalen, Østersund Municipality, Jämtland Gymnasium, National resource centre for local food producers Eldrimner and Fia Gullikson from `Food in action .̀ The delegation attended also the conference ‘Særimner’, the Swedish idea- and knowledge forum regarding local food and food craftmanship.
–It was very useful to get a better insight in how Østersund is connecting local and regional partners linked to Culture, Gastronomy, Education and Tourism, boosting business development in the region, says Heidi Bjønnes Larsen from Hordaland County Council.Plans are made for new cooperation activities between the regions, for instance an Erasmus+ exchange between food and restaurant students from Jämtland and Fitjar Secondary Schools.
Read more about Bergen City of Gastronomy on page 21.
Contact: [email protected]
Åre caramels, an example of Swedish food craftmanship. Photo: Ruth Rørvik.
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Erasmus+ library cooperationA group of four from Bergen Public Library travelled to the Netherlands and the Copenhagen/Malmö area in September and November. They carried out Erasmus+ ”job shadowing” and wanted to learn more about adult learning and social and digital inclusion of immigrants and elderly.
Anne Berit Lillegraven Helland tells about their experiences:–We were warmly welcomed by our partners in Breda and Malmö libraries and likewise in the additional libraries we visited: Lelystad, Utrecht, Amsterdam and Tårnby (Kastrup). We were especially impressed by the methodical way the libraries worked with illiteracy, forming partnerships with institutions and organiza-tions in the local communities and with volunteers.
–In Bergen Public Library we organize reading groups and language cafes for refugees and other immigrants who want to practice their Norwegian. The demand for learning Norwegian is great! A hundred people come every week to one of our language cafes. Our laptop clubs for digital beginners are also highly sought after. The library has started to cooperate with volunteers, both for language and digital learning.
–The study tours have given us loads of experiences, inspiration and new ideas which we will need when the library welcomes all the new refugees to Bergen, concludes Anne Berit Helland.
Contact: [email protected]
ERASMUS+ and Hordaland County Council
What?
Erasmus+ is the EU programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport. The Erasmus+ programme aims to boost skills and employability, as well as modernising Education, Training, and Youth work. Erasmus+ website: http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/index_en.htm
Why?
Erasmus+ will provide opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train, gain work experience and volunteer abroad. It reflects the priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy: http://ec.europa.eu/euro-pe2020/index_en.htm
How?
Hordaland County Council applies for financial support every year in order to provide for:- learning possibilities for students and teachers (Erasmus+ Learners Mobility), - staff in charge of Vocational Education and Training (Erasmus+ Staff Mobility) - youth and youth workers (Erasmus+: Youth in Action).
Bergen Public Library visits Lelystad Library and their project House of Language. Photographer: Anne Berit L. Helland.
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4. Youth and internationalisationErasmus+ Learners Mobility
Erasmus+ Learners Mobility Hordaland County Council is an active user of the Erasmus+ programme. Every year we apply for Vocational Education and Training (VET) Mobility funding on behalf of the upper secondary schools and vocational training offices in the county. In accordance with national and regional strategies we provide young learners with international opportunities.
Through this experience the participants gain important skills and intercultural competence. They learn how to cooperate and communicate in a foreign language and they become more independent and motivated. All of which will make them better equipped for the international labour market and an increasing multicultural society.
In 2015 we sent 108 pupils and apprentices on various mobility projects all over Europe. We aspire to send approximately the same number of pupils and apprentices during spring of 2016. In addition, we have also received funding to send school staff on mobility projects, and hope to send 15 staff this spring.
In 2015 we also applied for, and were awarded with an Erasmus+ VET Mobility Charter (VMC). The Charter is a way of accrediting organisations with a track record of proven quality in organising and delivering high quality mobility placements for learners and staff in VET, and aims to encourage the organisations to fur-ther develop their European internationalisation strate-gies. The Charter is awarded for the entire duration of the Erasmus+ programme, until 2020.
Contact: [email protected]
School project on the influence of soundLaksevåg Upper Secondary School is leading the Erasmus+ project “The City Rings”, a cooperation between secondary schools from six countries: Belgium, Finland, France, Italy, Turkey and Norway. The topic is sound and how sounds and noises influence us people, both in a physical, mental and cultural way. The first project meeting was in October in Bergen, and participants from all partner countries were represented.
Pupils from eight countries will analyse and compare different experiences with noise, and gather these audio-experiences in an e-book. They will use school subjects like natural science and social studies and measure levels of noise in the classroom, canteen and in the city centres.
Belgium initiated the project. Ine Cortevill and Lieven Vuylsteke from Belgium said: –Sound is part of our identity, also cities’ identity. We want to find out how sounds and noises influences us for better and worse. We are glad that our Norwegian partner is coordinating this project. It is in safe hands. In two years time we will show you the results. We are going to write a blog during the project and we will publish an e-book on internet.
Next gatherings will be in Vasa-Finland (February 2016), Bergen (Nov. 2016) and Belgium (March 2017). Summer 2017 the project will end with a final seminar in Istanbul. The project is financed through the Eras-mus+ programme (KA2), and it is the only strategic partnership project in Hordaland which was accepted by the Norwegian National Agency in 2015.
Contact: [email protected]
Visit to the fish farm Blom fiskeoppdrett AS, in Øygarden. The photo on the front page of this Newsletter is also taken in connection to this visit.
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Restaurant and food exchange with FranceFrance is the country of “bonne cuisine”, good food. For the Restaurant & Food students from Sotra Upper Secondary School there is a lot to learn from a traineeship in cooperation with their French partner school. Not only using French terminology, but they also experience the differences in working places, working hours and food traditions. The cooperation is bilateral, and French students get the opportunity to work at restaurants in Bergen.
Four years ago Sotra Upper Secondary school started to cooperate with Lycée Professionnel Saint-Michel in France. The school is situated in the small city Blanquefort, close to Bordeaux. The two schools have exchanged more than fifty Restaurant & Food students with each other. The students get a better insight in their profession and learn about the differences in food traditions and working conditions. It broadens their competence and it is also good for their CVs.
We ask Reidun Vågenes Aase how these students are selected?– All exchange students have completed the first year of upper secondary school with specialisation in Restaurant & Food (cook/waiter). It is not all about the pupils with top grades, it is as much of importance that they are motivated, cooperative and conscientious, says Reidun Vågenes Aase who coordinates the exchange for the Norwegian students.
The students live and work together closely for three to five weeks. They learn to work in a kitchen in another country, and get the chance to look into a different food tradition.
The Norwegian students get the chance to work in a high variety of working places, all from a five star hotel, to Michelin-restaurants and small cafes. The Norwegian guests come in groups of 4–5 for three weeks at a time and work at the same practice places the French school uses for their own students. The students learn to adapt the different routines and working in shifts. The French students, who normally come in groups of 8–10, get the opportunity to work at restaurants in the city of Bergen. Also for them it is a great experience, as the average restaurant in Norway is bigger with fixed working hours. The students from Bordeaux stay for five weeks at Montana Youth Hostel in Bergen.
Contact: [email protected]
Cooperation on animal welfareStend Upper Secondary School sent four pupils to the Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare in East Sussex, England. The aim of the Centre is to rescue, rehome and provide sanctuary for more than 1500 animals each year.
Anna Løtvedt was one of the pupils who visited the Raystede Centre for three weeks. Her specialisation is dogs, and she was given lots of practical work including cleaning cages, feeding and training the dogs at Raystede. We asked Anna what she learned from her three week stay in England.
– It was the first time for me to visit a Rescue Centre, which was a great experience. We learned new training methods, as we exchanged dog training techniques with the staff of the centre, and this was very useful for both us and them. We got a lot of practical experi-ences, and we also learned to communicate better in
Hordaland/Sotra student Lynni Hjelme at work in the kitchen of Grand Hotel De Bordeaux, France.
Anna Løtvedt at Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare in England.
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English. The focus was on learning new things, so we had tasks all the time. We got to know the people at the Centre very well and we are still in contact with them, says Anna Løtvedt.
Two of the pupils were specialised in dogs, the two others in animal welfare in general. The latter worked with different kinds of animals. Raystede offers a lifelong home for example for goats, horses, ponies and donkeys which are no longer wanted. More about Raystede Centre for Animal welfare: www.raystede.org
Contact: [email protected]
French visitors in EtneEtne Upper Secondary School in Hordaland and Ly-cée Paul Cornu i Lisieux in Basse-Normandie have been Erasmus+ cooperation partners since 2014. The media schools have exchanged both pupils and teachers, and they are very satisfied with the learning results. The project brought forward the cultural differences between schools, businesses and society in France and Norway. The cooperation contributed also to new perspectives on how to run a school for media studies.
In November Etne hosted six pupils and two teachers from their French partner school for two weeks. The French pupils had their practice at the Local newspaper Granner and advertising agency Filter. They developed graphic products for the two enterprises. In addition the French pupils attended classes at Etne Upper Secondary School. They travelled around in Etne and interviewed local enterprises. This gave the
French visitors the opportunity to experience Norwe-gian nature, culture and food.
Since 2014 there have been several exchanges. Teachers from the Lycée visited their Norwegian part-ner school and five pupils studying media from Etne Upper Secondary School stayed two weeks in France during Spring 2015 accompanied by teachers from Etne. Both the French and Norwegians enjoyed their stay abroad and had good and instructive experiences. New cooperation activities are planned for Spring 2016.
Contact: [email protected]
Erasmus+ contact seminar in PrahaOdda Upper Secondary School sent a representa-tive to a contact seminar in Praha, Czech Republic. The main aim was to develop Erasmus+ strategic partnership projects between vocational schools and youth organisations on the topic ”Youth Employability”.
Geir Tveit Rønningen tells us afterwards: –This contact seminar was very useful. As a result I have a strong and good international network now and the seminar gave me better insight in the application procedure for Erasmus+ KA2 strategic partnership projects. I am already working now on my first KA2 application, after establishing cooperation between schools and organisations from five different European countries. The aim of the project is to inspire, motivate and prepare pupils at lower secondary schools to use pupils and teachers from upper secondary schools to choose their profession/careers. I really look forward to continue working with this project!
Contact: [email protected]
French visitors in Etne: pupils visit the local sound studio ABC STUDIO.
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Erasmus+: Youth in Action
Dublin Forum – Road to ParisSeventy youngsters from different parts of Europe gathered in Dublin in October to give input to the Climate Change Conference in Paris. Now the Hord-aland delegation wants to follow up with a local Climate and Food project.
– It was a great experience to be at the Climate Forum in Dublin, only weeks before the Climate Conference in Paris, says Oda Johanna Agdal, one of six young people in the Hordaland delegation. Oda is leader of the organisation “Nature and Youth” in Bergen.
The Dublin Forum was organised by the Irish organisation Eco Unesco. Their aim is to raise awareness, understanding and knowledge of the environment in young people. They applied and received EU-support to this project called: “What’s So Hot About Climate Change: Road to Paris Forum”.
The idea behind the project was first of all to create an opportunity for young environmentalists to discuss Climate Change issues with each other and with policy
makers. Secondly, to exchange knowledge and ideas, and empower these young people to take action at a local level on Climate Change.
The Hordaland delegation will follow up with a local project on food: what is climate-friendly food and how is food distributed in our region? They want to look into how we should change policy and actions in order to reduce our local footprint. The six youngsters represent Hordaland Youth Council, Changemaker, and Nature and Youth.
The project received financing through the Erasmus+: Youth in Action programme (KA3: policy reform and structured dialogue).
Contact: [email protected]
The Hordaland delegation in Dublin. From the left, in the back: Andreas Krossøy, Oda Mo Eikefet, Oda Johanna Agdal and Eivind Aalen Øi. In the front: Anniken Strønen Riise og Hedda Emilie Hidle.
Erasmus+: Youth in ActionWhat? Erasmus+ is the EU programme for Education, Trai-ning, Youth and Sport, running from 2014 until 2020. Youth in Action is the part of Erasmus+ relating to youth and non-formal learning (organised educational activities outside the established formal educational system): www.aktivungdom.eu/english/Erasmus-Youth-in-Action-6/
Who? Young people 13-30 years and youth workers
Which project types? Within Youth in Action, you can apply for:• Mobility: European Voluntary Service (EVS),
Youth Exchanges, Mobility for Youth Workers• Partnerships: Strategic Partnerships, Transnational
Youth Initiatives• Policy: Meetings between young people and
decision-makers in the field of youth.
Why? The aim of the Erasmus+ programme is to boost employability in Europe. Erasmus+: Youth in Action makes an important contri-bution to the acquisition of competences and skills. At the end of each project, the young people receive an EU-certificate called Youthpass.
Contact: [email protected]
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Living in a French castle“Living in France was a dream coming true”, says Martin Sundberg from Bergen. He has been working as a volunteer for the organisation Solidarités Jeunesses in a French castle during two months. His tasks were renovating buildings and preparing food for visiting groups. Hordaland County Council was his sending organisation.
“This project was really fantastic”, says 19 year old Martin. “I speak some French now, and I learned a lot about construction work and also work ethics. Best of all is that I got to know many new people from differ-ent countries”. Martin lived and worked two months in and around the castle “Château des Prureaux” in the village Montcombroux- Les-Mines. The castle is a gathering point for work camps and volunteers doing local community work organised by Solidarités Jeunesses: –“We believe that cultural exchanges are a key of personal development and this truly happens when people are living and working together.”
Back in Hordaland, Martin is more certain about his future plans now: “First of all I want to finish my secondary education.”
Contact: [email protected]
Youth Unemployment seminar in PortugalA representative of the Volunteer Centre in Møhlenpris, Bergen, participated in a seminar in Portugal about Youth Unemployment in Europe. The participants discussed concrete youth work activities and shared best practice. Sindre Johnsen was inspired by the seminar: –It is great to be part of this international network of youth workers.
The seminar was organised by the organisation H2O in Arrouquelas, Portugal. Erasmus+ covered all expenses.
Martin Sundberg in the middle of a group of volunteers in front of the castle “Château des Prureaux” in the village Montcombroux- Les-Mines, France.
Sindre Johnsen together with participants from 14 countries in Europe.
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Cooperation with China and JapanHordaland pupils celebrate China’s National DayAmalie Skram Upper Secondary School started an exchange with Beijing Bayi School in China this autumn. Fourteen pupils studying Chinese in Bergen travelled to Beijing. They experienced daily life together with their host families and they learned about local history and customs in China. The Norwegian group was lucky with the timing of their stay as the Chinese celebrated their National Day 1st October. They got the opportunity to experience parades, family gatherings and even a wedding!
Increase intercultural understanding
Confucius Institute in Bergen assisted Amalie Skram Upper Secondary School in finding a partner school. Principal Bjørn Lyngedal, Head of Department Maria Sanchez Olsen and Chinese teacher Wu Tao accom-panied the pupils to Beijing from 26th September to 6thOctober. During these ten days the Norwegian pupils, together with the Chinese, attended classes and experienced cultural activities and family life with their host families. The aim of the exchange is to increase the pupils’ communicative skills, intercultural understanding and learning motivation.
Already in January 2016 a Chinese delegation of fifteen pupils and teachers will pay Amalie Skram a return visit. Norwegian pupils are planning to study one year at the Beijing Sports University, with the financial support of the Confucius Institute. There are
also plans for an exchange of one school year for two Norwegian pupils at Beijing Bayi School.The pupils live at their host families for free, the activities are paid for by the host school. There were also sponsors from the business sector in order to make this exchange possible.
Contact: [email protected]
Hiroshima-Hordaland school exchangeUpper secondary schools Fukyuana Seishikan in Japan and Amalie Skram in Norway have become cooperation partners. One Hordaland pupil is studying this school year 2015–16 in Japan. Next year it is the plan to carry out a bilateral exchange and Amalie Skram will both send and host a pupil in cooperation with the Japanese partner school. The aim of the Japan-Hordaland school exchange is to increase the pupils’ communicative skills, intercul-tural understanding and learning motivation.
Short-term exchanges for groups of pupils accompa-nied by a teacher are also part of the agreement. In February 2015 Amalie Skram Upper Secondary School sent four pupils to Japan, together with language teacher Akiko Brudvik and Deputy Principal Olaug Engesæter. The delegation visited the cities Kyoto, Tokyo and Hiroshima and learned about Japanese language, culture and daily life. At Fukyuana Seishikan High School in Hiroshima they were part of the final ceremony for leaving students. They also visited several Norwegian enterprises and learned about the importance of export of fish –especially salmon – to Japan.
Contact: [email protected]
The delegation from Amalie Skram Upper Secondary School visits Beijing.
The delegation from Amalie Skram Upper Secondary School visits their partner school in Japan.
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5. West Norway Office in Brussels
Energy policy is high on the agenda in the EU and is important for the Western part of Norway. Through the EEA-agreement the EU policy greatly affects our work in the energy field in Hordaland. Therefore energy related issues and the EU Energy Union in particular has been a focus of the West Norway Office (WNO) in Brussels in the autumn of 2015.
Open Days
During the Open Days in October WNO co-organised a workshop with other European regional offices showcasing how the regions in Europe are contributing to reaching the goals of the EU Energy Union. The representative from West Norway was the transport company Norled, who presented the electric ferry Ampere (photo above). The world’s first large fully electric vessel, which is built in Hordaland, is an excellent example of how an industry traditionally being a substantial emitter of CO2 is transforming their business in a greener direction.
Horizon 2020
WNO has followed the funding opportunities related to energy in Horizon 2020 closely this autumn, which includes numerous opportunities for actors in Hord-aland within energy efficiency, green and sustainable transport and smart cities and communities, amongst others. The projects which are being granted funding from the EU programme for research and innovation all have to show how their project will contribute to reaching the EU energy goals. The WNO is supports it’s members in applying for EU funding for their energy efficient and green projects.
Learning about educational trends in EuropeInspired by a conference about internationalisation in the educational sector, Fitjar Upper Secondary School decided to learn more about this topic. The leader’s team of the school travelled to the heart of EU-politics, Brussels, and one of the places they visited was West Norway Office located in Norway House.
Autumn 2014 Hordaland County Council organised an internationalisation conference for all upper secondary schools in Hordaland. Director of West Norway Office, Merete Mikkelsen, gave a presentation and invited schools to come to Brussels and to learn more. Fitjar Upper Secondary School took the hint and visited West Norway Office in Brussels during 16–18 November. The office had made an interesting programme for them.
Harald Nybølet, director of the Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education (SIU) presented educational trends in Europe. He talked about the trend of modernising vocational training and focus on basic skills. He stressed the importance for schools to focus on the prevention of early school leaving and to fight radicalisation. He also presented Erasmus+, the EU programme for education, training, youth and sports. He encouraged the school to apply for mobility projects for teachers and increase their key compe-tences and skills, through job shadowing and training courses. Maria Erdal Askim at West Norway Office offered her assistance regarding project applications and partner search.
After two very instructive and intensive days the Fitjar delegation returned home, inspired and motivated for European projects.
Contact: [email protected]
WNO-director Merte Mikkelsen (right) receives Fitjar Secondary School.
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6. Other activitiesBergen as a UNESCO Creative City of GastronomyThe City of Bergen was launched as the first Norwe-gian member of the UNESCO network of creative cities on Friday 11th December 2015. Hordaland County Mayor Anne Gine Hestetun congratulated Bergen: –A membership will provide a sound foundation for growth and development in local food production, improve the cooperation between city and rural areas with academia and it will also strengthen the tourism sector. We are proud of the UNESCO support and congratulate Bergen with the important recognition. The City, the County as well as the County Governor, have all worked hard for during a 3-year period.
Bergen has become one of fourteen world cities of gastronomy
Hordaland County Council took the first initiative to develop the application for Bergen to become a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. The Policy Committee of Hordaland County Council recom- mended in 2013, that the City of Bergen should apply for a UNESCO membership. The successful application was a result of a wide regional partnership involving many actors from public government, private sector such as fish, aquaculture and agri food producers, chefs’ association, tourism organisations and the University of Bergen. Bergen has now become one of fourteen world cities of gastronomy.
West Norway OfficeThe West Norway Office (WNO) is working as a liaison between its members in West Norway and European actors in Brussels. The office is located in the Norway House (photo), situated opposite the European Commis-sion and close to other EU institutions in Brussels.
The main tasks of the office are:- to provide its members with information services, - to promote the region and its members as cooperation
partners for European projects, and - to increase the knowledge on EU-Norway relations in
the region.
Members: in addition to Hordaland County Council, nine municipalities in Hordaland as well as the energy company BKK.
Newest member (autumn 2015): Austevoll municipality.
Internet: www.west-norway.no/west-norway-office-in-brussels/
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A fantastic potential for sustainable development.The cities within the network represent a tremendous potential for promoting culture as a driver for sustaina-ble growth and development. “The many new creative cities and countries involved will enrich the network and support its great diversity”, says general director Irina Bokova of UNESCO.
All the cities in the UNESCO network meet at least once a year, and the next global meeting will be in Østersund in Sweden in september 2016. Bergen has signed a special MoU with Östersund including the Jamtland region for wide cooperation in the field of gastronomy. Hordaland has been working closely with Jamtland for many years on NPA Interreg projects about Econo-musee, and much of the Gastronomy development can thus be said to be a result of our ongoing interregional European cooperation.
Contact: [email protected]
The EFTA Working Party visited BergenThe EFTA Working Party of the Council of the Eu-ropean Union, which handles all cooperation in the framework of the European Economic Area (EEA), visited Bergen 9 – 11 September. The aim was to get a better understanding of how the EEA-agreement and European cooperation affect Norway and Nor-wegian politics. Western Norway was used as an example. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized the visit.
International engagement in Western Norway
West Norway Office in Brussels and Hordaland County Council were invited to present the international engagement in Western Norway. Director of West Norway Office, Merete Mikkelsen, told about their work and how they are assisting their members in their efforts to involve in European cooperation. Head of International Services in Hordaland County Council, Kathrin Jakobsen, emphasized the importance of the EEA-agreement for the region and gave examples of how European cooperation strengthens economic development, research and education and training in the region.
The results of the Interreg project, Clean North Sea Shipping, were presented by the chairman of the pro-ject, Lars Tveit, focusing on how to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from shipping. Innovative initiatives in the region, were exemplified by the production of the electric ferry, “Ampere”, which is developed by Fjellstrand AS together with European partners, all based on new technology.
Cooperation around the North Sea
All the county councils in West Norway are members of the North Sea Commission (NSC), which is a
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) - Created in 2004; 116 UCCN cities in the world- Aim: to promote cooperation with and among cities
that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.
- Common objective: placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans at the local level and cooperating actively at the international level.
- The UNESCO Creative Cities Network covers seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Arts, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music.
- Web page: en.unesco.org/creative-cities/
The general director of Unesco Irina Bukova, with the stockfish in hand which represents Bergen’s early staple food asset provided to most of Europe, many of the former colonies and West Africa for more than 800 years.
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political member organization for the regions around the North Sea, and in this period Councillor Tom Christer Nilsen, is president of the organisation. Executive Secretary, Kate Clarke, told how the NSC is organized and presented the most important issues the organisation is working on. Regional and national cooperation is necessary to make progress in these field. A coordinated and sustainable energy policy for example, demands that national authorities cooperate to create favorable conditions and standards.
Contact: [email protected]
Global Centre of Expertise Subsea Norwegian Centre of Expertise (NCE) Subsea has developed over the past ten years. In 2015 the cluster gained status as Global Centre of Expertise (GCE Subsea).
Global Centre of Expertise Subsea offers its partners and members services and activities linked to subsea technology and has become one of Norway’s most advanced clusters. The GCE status secures financial support from the public sector and gives possibilities for development over a new 10 year period. Hordaland County Council has supported the cluster from the start.
The cluster’s starting point is offshore oil and gas sector but has ambitions to work in new areas such as offshore wind and potentially also subsea mining. The aim of GCE Subsea is to strengthen innovation activities, increase international engagement and increase capacity, competitiveness and growth for the cluster members and for the cluster as a whole. More information about GCE Subsea: www.gcesubsea.no/
Contact: [email protected]
Climate workshop in Hungary Leader of the HCC Climate Section was invited to a workshop on climate adaptation in Hungary. The workshop was part of NAGis (National Adaptation Geo-information System), a project supported by an EEA grant with Norway as main sponsor.
The objective of NAGiS is to develop a geo-information system to facilitate decision-making processes on impact assessment of climate change and adaptation measures in Hungary.
Concrete results
Gudrun Mathisen sums up her experiences:–At the workshop in Szentendre, concrete results were presented on quantitative assessment of climate impact on shallow groundwater and drinking water areas, natural habitats and flash flood risk analysis.
–Very interesting research projects where presented, such as Vulnerability and impact studies on tourism and critical infrastructure and Long-term socio-eco-nomic forecasting for Hungary, continues Mathisen.
From Norway, Karen Lie and Karl Kerner, from the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection, presented Climate Change adaptation policies. Stefan Sobolowski presented climate research at the Bjerknes Centre, including Hordaklim, and Mathisen presented the Climate Action Plan Hordaland.
Exchange of good practices
–The bilateral workshop was a opportunity for learning and exchange of good practices, says Mathisen. –Norway can learn from Hungary on research based climate adaptation, and a long-term cooperation could be fruitful.
Contact: [email protected]
Global Centre of Expertise Subsea offers its partners and members services and activities linked to subsea technology.
Gudrun Mathisen (left) presented the Climate Action Plan Hordaland at the NAGiS workshop in Hungary.
International Services, January 2016
Agnes Mowinckels gt 5Postboks 7900N-5020 BERGENNORWAY
Tel: +47 55 23 90 00www.hordaland.no
Hordaland County Council is responsible for developing Hordaland society. We provide upper secondary education, dental health services and public transport for our citizens.
We develop the road system and facilitate growth, economic development, leisure activities and culture. The Council is the county’s political decision-making body.
As part of national and global society we are responsible for taking care of the past, the present and the future in Hordaland.
