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Price levels remain highest
Norway continues to claim the dubious honour of having among the highest prices in all of Europe. That hasn't stopped Norwegians from going shopping, though, especially during this rainy summer.

State statistics bureau SSB reported Wednesday that Norway ranked along with Switzerland, Denmark and Iceland as having the highest prices in Europe, while some new members of the European Union had the lowest.

The countries ranking at the bottom of the price list included Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania and Turkey.

Prices in both Norway and Denmark were 41 percent higher than the EU average in 2005, according to the report. That's also 18 percent higher than in Sweden, and 15 percent higher than in Finland, both of which are considered relatively expensive countries in which to live.

Iceland's prices were 50 percent over the EU average, but that was largely attributed to a strong Icelandic currency when the study was conducted.

Price differences remained among the EU countries that use the common Euro currency. Prices in Ireland and Finland, for example, were 40 percent higher than in Portugal and 47 percent higher than in Greece. On an overall basis, Danish prices were ranked as three times higher than prices in Lithuania.

(Aftenposten English Web Desk - Published 11/07/07)

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Study confirms high prices
A new study has confirmed that tobacco prices in Norway are the highest in Europe. Norwegians have to pay much more for meat and alcoholic beverages as well.

The study was presented by the European Commission's statistics office, Eurostat on Tuesday. The statistics were based on prices in May 2006, and now they're generally even higher because of annual hikes in tax levels.

It's mostly the punitive taxes put on products like tobacco and alcohol that make Norway so expensive. American visitors to the country are complaining especially loudly this year, not only because of the high prices but also because the US dollar is so weak against the strong Norwegian krone.

Norwegian tobacco prices are 127 percent higher than the European average, and double the price of tobacco in Sweden and Denmark, where taxes are also relatively stiff.

Eurostat ranked Norway and Iceland at the top of the list over alcohol prices, which were 129 percent higher than the average level in Europe.

Norway also had the dubious distinction of having among the highest prices for food and even non-alcoholic beverages in Europe, along with Denmark, Iceland and Switzerland.

Meat was especially expensive n Norway, with prices 82 percent over the European average. That's traditionally a result of measures to protect high-cost Norwegian meat producers, not least by restricting cheaper imports.

(Aftenposten English Web Desk - Published 17/07/07)

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