ABSTRACT
Discharges of hazardous substances and nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) to the marine environment are transported by currents from one country to another. The counter clockwise direction of the North Sea currents places Norway as a net importer of marine pollution. While Norway was one of the states that pushed hardest to get this international regulation in place, it faces significant challenges in practising at home what it preaches abroad. This chapter explores this gap between Norway's international and domestic goal attainment. It divides the time period under consideration into two periods: phase one, which is dominated by efforts to influence regime commitments at the international level; and phase two, which is dominated by implementation at the domestic level. The chapter argues that the gap between international and domestic goal attainment has been caused by a combination of ambitious international obligations and domestic implementation problems. Norway thus became 'trapped' in its own international ambitions.
