In Norway, there are three levels of self-government: state, county and municipal level. Norway is divided into 11 counties and 356 municipalities as of 1 January 2020. All levels have directly elected councils and their own administrations.

 

The capital, Oslo, is classified as being both a municipality and a county authority. The municipalities and the county authorities have the same administrative status, whereas the central government has the overriding authority and supervision of municipal and county administration. The Storting (Parliament) is the legislative body and also decides the economic bounds within which the regional and local authorities can operate. The main representative of the central government in the region - supervising local and regional authorities - is the County Governor. The Parliament and the Government regulate the tasks that are delegated to various levels. This is partly accomplished through direct regulation by specific laws, and partly by indirect regulation through the management of the basic economic conditions that play a decisive role in determining the tasks that are to be dealt with. 

The counties are responsible for services on the regional level, such as secondary education, cultural affairs and cultural heritage protection, public transport and the development and maintenance of the county road system, integration, economic development and planning, broadband development, fishing ports, innovation, business development, agriculture and forestry. The counties get nearly 50 per cent of their revenue in the form of state grants and 35 per cent from taxes. 

 

All Norwegian regions are part of the BSSSC network. The most active ones belong to Eastern Norway County Network Innlandet, Oslo, Viken and Vestfold and Telemark County. In addition, Agder County is involved.