STORY / PUBLIC SOURCE RECORD
Expanding operations in Europe through Norway’s business landscape
- Published 13 March 2023; updated 30 September 2026; estimated reading time 4 minutes. The page says the article was originally published on Forbes.com on 9 July 2020 and was written by Gro Eirin Dyrnes, then Innovation Norway Regional Director of the Americas. Its arguments and statistics are from that period unless otherwise indicated; the 2025 FM Global resilience ranking is a later update cited in the current page.
- It presents Norway as a possible European base for foreign companies, particularly technology businesses seeking skilled talent, sustainability expertise, digital testing opportunities and access to the EEA single market. The page cites Norway’s No. 3 position in the 2025 FM Global Resilience Index and an old World Bank Doing Business rank of No. 9 in Europe (2020). It notes Norway follows relevant EU rules through the EEA and could participate in Horizon Europe despite not being an EU member.
- The article describes Norway as attractive for transparency and foreign investment, but acknowledges higher personal taxes than in the US. It reports a 22% corporate tax rate and employer national-insurance contributions ranging from 0% to 14.1%, with some rural areas exempt; these figures are page-stated and may have changed since publication. It says the welfare system can reduce employers’ direct responsibility for employee healthcare.
- It portrays Norway as a useful test market for tech products, citing tech-savvy early adopters and electric-car uptake; it gives 88.9% as the fully electric share of passenger-car sales in 2024. It also identifies ocean, health, sustainability and energy as competence hubs. These points are the article’s case for using Norway as a platform into wider European markets.
- Practical guidance: adapt to local culture and hire local staff; give employees meaningful voice; build local business relationships and cluster partnerships; use support organisations and programmes such as Innovation Norway, Horizon Europe and R&D schemes; pilot products with local users and test centres; and connect the business case to sustainability, resource efficiency and worker wellbeing. It cautions that Norway’s geography, lower workforce mobility and cultural differences may require adjustment for US businesses.
- Related industries: Aquaculture and fisheries, Defence and space, Battery, Industrial production, Digital infrastructure, Energy, Health and life science, Maritime and Offshore wind. Invest in Norway contact link is provided; no named contact details appear in the captured article.