Norway raises forecast for asylum seekers in 2015
By Gwladys Fouche GARDERMOEN, Norway (Reuters) - Norway raised its forecasts on Monday for how many asylum seekers will arrive in 2015, as the government prepares to offer an amendment to its 2016 budget that could increase state spending to deal with the increased arrivals. The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) said asylum applications might reach 30,000 to 35,000, an increase from a forecast of 20,000 to 25,000 made on Oct. 5. Norway's population is 5.2 million people. "Now we think it is probably going to be over 30,000 ... It is not unthinkable that we are going to land between 30,000 and 35,000," Christine Wilberg, the section director at UDI in charge of reception centers, told a seminar. The government of Prime Minister Erna Solberg will soon offer an amendment to Parliament concerning its 2016 budget, which it presented less than three weeks ago, to adjust the cost of more people seeking protection. The government said on Oct. 7 it planned to make its first net withdrawal of money from the country's giant wealth fund next year to pay for tax cuts and help boost an economy hit by weak oil prices. The rapid influx of asylum seekers could lead to an even larger withdrawal from the $865 billion fund, Solberg has since said. The immigration authority is still working with a forecast for 2016 of more than 30,000 arrivals, UDI's Wilberg told Reuters, but the present situation is uncertain. "It can quickly be at the same level, or higher, in 2016," she said. "There is a lot of uncertainty. "The biggest increase happened in the second half this year, with the biggest increase happening this autumn. If (arrivals) continue at the same level, it is not unthinkable to think that they will be much higher next year." Norway is not a member of the European Union but is a member of the passport-free Schengen zone. Wilberg said the number of arrivals to the Nordic country depended on several factors. "It depends on what Europe wishes to do in terms of border control and burden sharing, on how many people think Norway is an attractive country to go to and on other countries' policies," she said. (Editing by Terje Solsvik, Larry King)
