ABSTRACT
The international chapter of the Norwegian story is then a highly successful one. International commitments covering the most important pollutants have been established, and these commitments have over time become both stronger and 'smarter', i.e. more differentiated and sophisticated. In order to account for Norway's varying and partly embarrassing goal attainment, this chapter emphasizes a combination of domestic institutions and policies and fundamental problem characteristics. One common factor in particular that has complicated the development of effective nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) policies is clearly the growth of Norway as an oil and gas producer and exporter in the 1990s. The increasing linkages and complementarity between 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) and EU policies may provide the environmental authorities with the necessary clout to get adequate policy packages adopted and implemented in the years ahead.
