Infection control considerations and the need to protect the Storting’s core parliamentary activities were key to last month’s decision.

The Presidium’s recommendations and decisions

• A reduced number of 87 MPs to meet in person for the opening of sittings and voting until the new session starts in October.
• Committee hearings to take place by video conference or via written input.
• No visitors to the Storting other than those whose presence is absolutely necessary for parliamentary business.
• All domestic and foreign committee travel suspended until 1st July. Domestic committee travel may be planned for the autumn of 2020. In such cases, it must be possible to comply with infection control rules, and all planning must allow for last minute changes or cancellations. Such conditions also apply to travel that has already been announced or approved for September and October
• No committee travel abroad until October. Trips that were previously approved for September must be changed, and all other committee travel applications for the same period will be rejected.

Last ordinary day of sittings before the summer recess

The last ordinary day of sittings before the summer recess is Friday 19th June 2020. However, the Storting must, as always, be prepared to meet during the summer if the situation so requires.

A continuance of previous measures and recommendations

The Presidium’s decisions should be viewed in the context of the recommendations and measures that were previously adopted this spring, as well as the rules laid down in the Storting’s Rules of Procedure regarding the activities of the Storting and its standing committees. For example, the committees are still at liberty to hold their meetings wholly or partly online.