Robert Kvile: Unifying Norway

INVESTOŘI V MSK Unifying Norway Robert Kvile was born on 21 January, 1958. In 1987, he was awarded his PhD from the University of Oslo in the field of Slavic linguistics. In the same year, he began to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he began as Deputy Director of the Department of Regional Affairs between 2016 and 2018. During his career, he has held several ambassador offices; since 2018, he has been the ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway in the Czech Republic. Are there currently any specific projects between universities in Norway and universities in the Moravian-Silesian Region? Since the EEA and Norway Grants started operating in the Czech Republic in 2004, we have carried out around 1,100 projects in every nook and cranny of this country. These projects range from small initiatives by a handful of enthusiasts in Norway and the Czech Republic to huge projects that include large numbers of scientists, artists or experts on environmental issues, cultural heritage restoration or public health. In the grant period that has just ended, Ostrava’s Technical University, the Ostrava Faculty Hospital and also the psychiatric hospital in Opava have realized very interesting EEA projects with Norwegian partners; in total, I think Norway Grants implemented close to twenty projects in North Moravia and Silesia, which is an impressive figure. The new grant period for the coming seven years has just started, so I don’t know yet the exact number of new projects approved in your region, but given both the success of former projects and the huge interest for Norway Grants in your region, I am quite confident that the cooperation between universities will continue. What strategy is your country pursuing within a common Europe? As you understand from my previous answer, Norway is heavily involved in European cooperation, although we are not a member of the EU. Thanks to the EEA agreement, we have full access to the EU’s four freedoms; as for legislation, Norway has actually incorporated more EU laws into its national legislation than several EU members. In addition to that, we pay an equivalent to twenty-one billion CZK annually to the EU budget. In other words, Norway is practically an EU member, but we are not a part of the EU’s political decision-making organs. Is this a wise arrangement? In two national referendums, in 1972 and in 1994, more than half of the population said it is. Today, a potential EU membership is not on the political agenda in Norway. What interesting projects in the MoravianSilesian region have you recently taken part in? In addition to a variety of EEA and Norway Grants projects, I would like to mention a hugely interesting Smart City conference that we arranged in December 2018 in cooperation with 60 ǀ POSITIV 1/2021 Lord Mayor Tomáš Macura and his staff at Ostrava Magistrate. A large delegation arrived from the city of Fredrikstad in Norway, and through a number of lectures we presented innovative urban solutions from both cities. It was very enlightening and inspiring. Afterwards, we went with Lord Mayor Macura and his colleagues to a restaurant in Stodolní Street to have food and a glass of beer. I must say that the friendly and easy-going attitude among people in Ostrava made a huge impression on me. It is well known that the people of the Nordic countries are among the most satisfied employees in the world. Can you explain why this is so? I think this is a result of our business culture, which is based on certain values that almost all Norwegians respect. One of the core values is the focus on equality. We take gender equality very seriously also in working life. Moreover, we prefer limited hierarchy and flat structures--there are relatively small differences in society, which applies in the workplace, as well. For instance, at the Norwegian Embassy in Prague, my door is open all day and my subordinates come by whenever they need to solve anything. We see the flat structure and the openness in communication as a tool to achieve results, and not as a threat. What do you like about the Czechs? Are they an inspiration to you? If so, what inspires you especially? In my eyes, the Norwegians and Czechs have surprisingly much in common. We are both relatively small nations in Europe, we have a similar sense of humor, we love sports, and we don’t like to be bullied around by big nations who don’t respect the rules. In short, I feel very much at home in the Czech Republic, and I love Czech cuisine. Actually, the vepro-knedlo-zelo dish is so delicious that it should be included on UNESCO’s world heritage list! Mr Ambassador, thank you for the interview. Text: redakce Foto: archiv Robert Kvile www.norway.no