Your Majesties, Your Royal Highness, Fellow Members of the Storting, 

Today we open the 168^th Storting. As we once again take our seats in this chamber, there rests on our collective shoulders a clear responsibility: to help deal with the very real challenges that people all over the country face on a daily basis.

We take this duty very seriously.

We continue to live in troubling times. We do not know what lies ahead. It’s easy to understand why so many are worried.

Though many of us are managing to cope with the tougher economic times, we have met people who are really struggling.

It is often said that no one should have to stand with cap in hand. But words alone are of little help. This is not the first time that elected representatives in this chamber have gone through uncertain times. Previously, they made the wise decisions which made our nation what it is today. This is a binding legacy.

Fellow Members, 

Climate change is no longer simply a threat somewhere out there in the blue. Now, it is very real; close to home; something that can quite literally reshape our local communities. Storm Hans gave us undeniable proof that our climate and environmental problems require immediate action.

Many of us here today have been to the hard-hit areas and seen the destruction, the human loss and despair with our own eyes.

Here, I want to mention Arnstein Groven from Nesbyen. This fantastic person who, in all the hopelessness, spread humour, joy and belief. No one said it better than he, in his unmistakable Hallingdal dialect: Take the rough with the smooth, keep your spirits up, and do something about it together.

Arnstein represents the very best our country has to offer. Those who have built up the welfare state, and who play an active role in their local community, in town or country. He reminds us that we are a people who care about each other. We’ve been through crises and hard times before. We’ll get through this one, but it requires solidarity and fellowship.

Fellow Members, 

We are the Storting, and the Storting must be decisive in its efforts to take care of our nation’s citizens and local communities.

As representatives of the people, our most important task is to see those we are elected BY and FOR.

Our entire nation is represented in the Storting. As an institution, we are the cornerstone of our democratic society.

The priorities we make, and the laws we pass have an impact on each and every citizen.

We must not be different from the people we represent. Nevertheless, we – more than anyone else – must be conscious of how to behave.

Both as individuals and as a group, it is our duty to make sure that our mistakes and scandals do not overshadow what is most important: our political work. People must know that their concerns are being taken seriously, and that they can be solved here in this chamber.

It is only by this that we can earn the trust the people have conferred upon us through the election.

Our democratic heritage is a precious commodity which we must both develop and protect.

Politically, everyone here is part of a minority in the world. Most people don’t live in democracies or enjoy the same freedoms as us. This makes us privileged. It also places us under an obligation.

One way to protect what we prize so highly is by supporting those who are fighting for their right to freedom and democracy.

As we are doing through the Storting’s commitment to Ukraine.

The war is far from over, but is still raging in our own neighbourhood. When President Zelensky addressed the Storting, he said, «Freedom must be as well-equipped as tyranny.» We owe it to the young people losing their lives on the front line right now to keep up our support for a democratic Europe.

We have just put a new election behind us. There is a line through Norwegian society from the local to the national level; one which anchors our democratic culture. Thousands of recently-elected local politicians are getting to grips with the roles that many here are deeply familiar with. They deserve our support and thanks for the responsibilities they have taken on.

In an unstable world, where democracy is under pressure, it is more important than ever that we protect all sides of the system we believe in. Which makes it all the more worrying that voter turnout is on the decline. Society at large, and not least those of us in politics, have a duty here. For democracy to work, people must use their vote and must understand how important it is to take part.

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Fellow Members,

The autumn ahead will be marked by many important and serious issues. There will be disagreement along the way, but I am convinced that everyone seated in this chamber will do their utmost to find the best solutions for our society.

The Storting is once again convened to perform its solemn duties. We meet in the full knowledge of the major responsibilities that await us and the obligations we have undertaken.

With these words, let us rise and unite in the traditional words:

«God save the King and the Fatherland!»

You can read about the state opening of the Storting here.