Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions
LO Norway
LO is the largest trade union confederation in Norway.
ID: 978681036472-47
Lobbying Activity
Meeting with Per Clausen (Member of the European Parliament) and Danish Trade Union Confederation EU Office and Finnish trade union representation to the EU
15 Dec 2025 · Dinner with Nordic Trade Union Offices
Response to Circular Economy Act
6 Nov 2025
The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO Norway) refers to the Commissions call for evidence on the Circular Economy Act. Sustainable resource management is intrinsic to a healthy climate and environment. The International Resource Panel finds that the extraction and processing of material resources for the global economy accounts for over 55% of GHG emissions, 40% of health impacts caused by air pollution, and over 90% of land-use related biodiversity loss. LO Norway supports the objective of increasing the circular material use rate in Europe as set out in the Clean Industrial Deal. European industries operate in a context where international trade has become less predictable, with increased geopolitical tensions and a trend towards leveraging economic power to advance policy interests. Increasing the circularity in Europes strategic sectors could help secure supply and reduce trade dependencies while benefiting the environment. However, the transition to a circular economy entails a radical break with linear production and consumption patterns, beyond increasing the circular material use rate. It requires preventing resources from becoming waste, keeping both products and materials in circulation, valuing welfare over wealth and finally producing and using less than we do today. Waste reduction, and actions that address the issues of why products become waste in the first place, are of critical importance. The Circular Economy Act should have a dual objective of contributing to Europes economic security and laying the foundations for an economy-wide transition towards circularity. Please find LO Norway's recommendations attached.
Read full response8 Jul 2025
The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO Norway) refers to the European Commissions call for evidence on the EU ETS1 for stationary installations, maritime transport and aviation. Our attached recommendations focus on industrial installations.
Read full responseResponse to Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act
7 Jul 2025
The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), The Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO), The United Federation of Trade Unions (Fellesforbundet), The union Styrke (Forbundet Styrke), The Federation of Norwegian Industries (Norsk Industri), Renewables Norway (Fornybar Norge) and Offshore Norway (Offshore Norge) refer to the European Commissions call for evidence on the Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act (IDAA). Our organisations welcome the intention of supporting Europes energy intensive industries (EIIs) on their decarbonisation pathways while securing their international competitiveness. Please find our recommendations attached.
Read full responseResponse to Evaluation of the Public Procurement Directives
20 Feb 2025
The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions position on the revision of the public procurement directives can be found in the enclosed document.
Read full responseResponse to Commission Recommendation and guidance on design elements of renewable energy auctions
1 Mar 2024
The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) and the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) refer to the public consultation on design elements of renewable energy auctions (guidance). Our organisations welcome the European Wind Power Action Plan which recognises the need for improved auction design for renewable energy and foresees Commission recommendations and guidance in this area, as well as the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) which establishes rules for the use of non-price criteria in such auctions, to be detailed in a forthcoming implementing act. We furthermore support the Green Deal Industrial Plan objectives of strengthening European supply chains in strategic net-zero technologies including renewables, to which the contributions of the whole European Economic Area (EEA) must be recognised. Our attached recommendations primarily intend to ensure that future recommendations, guidance, and legislation provides the necessary flexibility to allow for scaling up less mature floating offshore wind technologies.
Read full responseResponse to 2024 Evaluation of the European Labour Authority
1 Jan 2024
The EU established the European Labour Authority (ELA) in 2019. LO Norway is positive to initiatives that can strengthen the work against social dumping and labour crime. Its positive that ELA strengthens the cross-border administrative cooperation. Which can contribute to quicker solutions to cross-border disagreements and can make more and accurate information available to the governments, employers, and employees. Its common knowledge that national labour inspectorates often dont have the necessary access to information in cross-border situations related to free movement of persons and services. ELA can strengthen the effort to solve cross-border challenges and make it more difficult for rogue and criminal actors to operate in the single market. ELA can make a difference in the aviation sector. Today there is very little enforcement of labour law, tax law and social security law at national level regarding foreign companies in the aviation sector. And if there is any enforcement and follow-up it usually stops at national level. National authorities have been passive towards the challenges of increased social dumping in the sector. ELA can take a decisive role in securing a socially sustainable European aviation sector. This entails that ELA have access to sensitive and personal data to be able to pursue cross-border cases and that ELA can act in cross-border cases that demand coordination between countries. LO Norway is of the opinion that its to early to change ELAs mandate. Weakness in already existing EU law and case law could undermine any new efforts. At present time, the added value of ELA is related to strengthened cooperation and access to cross-border information. These are tasks that can be further strengthened and developed under ELAs current mandate and authority. Going forward there needs to be developed strategies on how and where ELA can have added value in the fight against social dumping and labour crime. LO Norway is of the opinion that ELA needs more time to work and develop its organization and tasks before any changes or new measures are added to its mandate and work. LO Norway demand that a possible revision of ELA doesnt expand its mandate and tasks in ways that undermine the social partners autonomy or undermine the national room to introduce measures in the labour market. LO Norway asks the Norwegian government to follow closely any proposals that may lead to transfer of national authority to ELA. LO Norway is especially concerned about giving ELA a mandate to enforce the temporary work agency directive. Open-ended work contracts are a fundamental pillar of the Norwegian labour market and a further normalization of the use of temporary work agencies can undermine national governments ability to regulate national labour markets. Its important that the social partners at European and national level is included in ELAs ongoing work and development. Norway must participate and contribute with its national experience and contribute to concrete proposals and solutions to combat social dumping and labour crime. LO Norway highlights the following points as important regarding the evaluation of ELA: ELA must not compromise the social partners autonomy or compromise the national room to implement measures in the labour market, conduct labour inspections or the enforcement of laws and collective agreements. ELA should be given more time to function before any major revision of its mandate and tasks are implemented. A revision of ELA that creates a more operative and effective authority does not need to be followed by a revision that transfers authority from national to European level. ELA should prioritize its efforts towards sectors that are especially affected by negative consequences of cross-border activities, such as the transport and building and construction sectors.
Read full responseMeeting with Ana Carla Pereira (Cabinet of Commissioner Nicolas Schmit) and industriAll European Trade Union and Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise
13 Nov 2023 · The future of the social agenda of the EU
Response to European Critical Raw Materials Act
18 Nov 2022
Norwegian trade unions and employers joint response to the European Commissions call for evidence on the forthcoming European Critical Raw Materials Act: Referring to the call for evidence on the European Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), we submit a joint response on behalf of Norways main confederations of trade unions and businesses (LO and NHO) and the organisations representing workers and companies in Norways extractive and processing industries (The Norwegian Federation of Industries, Industri Energi, Norwegian Mineral Industry and the Norwegian Union of General Workers). Our organisations welcome the initiative. The economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russias war in Ukraine have exposed the vulnerability of global and European value chains. At the same time, reaching the targets of the European Green Deal and the accelerated ambitions of REPowerEU will require a significant increase in the use of minerals and metals.Going forward, improving Europes access to critical minerals and metals will be decisive for securing strategic autonomy and delivering the green transition. The CRMA must address these challenges. Norway is well positioned to contribute, with experienced extractive and processing industries as well as reserves of metals and minerals which are indispensable to the green transition. In our joint response, we share our views on cooperation between Norway and the EU in the field of critical raw materials and our recommendations for action on the European level (please see the attached document).
Read full responseMeeting with Peter Liese (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and BUSINESSEUROPE and
23 May 2022 · ETS
Response to Revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2010/31/EU
18 Feb 2022
The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO Norway) is Norway’s largest trade union organisation. The 25 national unions affiliated to LO Norway have over 970 000 members, representing a broad range of sectors and occupations.
The building sector has a great potential for improved energy savings, and regulations for new buildings already set stringent requirements for energy efficiency. It is equally important to consider existing buildings, as these often have a higher energy consumption and are in need of renovation. There is also a need for reducing emissions from the production of building materials and the construction of buildings. This is important for climate change mitigation, but also for the improvement of working environments which today are challenged by high levels of noise and poor air quality.
If residential and commercial buildings are to be built in a more sustainable manner, to save more energy and to tackle a more unpredictable climate, those who construct the buildings need to know how. Strengthening competence and increasing productivity in the sector must therefore be a priority. For this crucial work, competence is a prerequisite. A culture of competence within the enterprises will contribute to increased knowledge and awareness throughout the whole value chain.
The EPBD proposal and its accompanying documents refer to social inequality as well as to the term “energy poverty”, stating that these factors are affected by the price of the energy which is used for space heating. Newly renovated homes which save energy will have a higher value, and contribute to lower costs and better living conditions for those who live there.
Still, some problems arise: Who should carry the costs of renovations, and will these investment costs result in higher prices for those who buy or rent homes? Several possible scenarios could arise, and it will become challenging to safeguard the interests of all stakeholders. LO Norway would highlight the importance of solving these and similar dilemmas in a just manner, especially for consumers. The free market will not be able to solve such dilemmas alone – this must be facilitated by regulators.
LO Norway considers that the EPBD proposal already highlights and aims to tackle a number of important challenges. At the same time, we would emphasise that the following elements should be considered in the ongoing work with the finalisation of the revised EBPD:
- The EPBD must be a tool to reduce GHG emissions through establishing criteria for materials and solutions. Life-cycle analyses for both buildings and materials must be part of its specific criteria.
- The ongoing work towards emission-free construction sites in parts of Europe must be continued, to ensure lower emissions and a better working environment.
- To achieve a circular economy with recycling, reuse and low emissions, the life span of today’s buildings must be prolonged so that resources can be saved. New buildings must be constructed for flexibility, circularity and a long life span.
- National support schemes must be enabled to continue playing their role in contributing to a more sustainable building sector while at the same time supporting fair working conditions in the industry.
- The regulation of the building sector must make it easier to rehabilitate and avoid demolition, e.g. by enabling the transformation of buildings and areas for new uses.
- Norway should be considered a partner in the development of the EU frameworks for the circular economy and buildings.
LO Norway's consultation response may be found attached.
Read full responseMeeting with Nicolas Schmit (Commissioner) and
29 Jun 2020 · Meeting on minimum wage.