Nikolai Astrup (politician)

Nikolai Eivindssøn Astrup (born 12 June 1978) is a Norwegian politician representing the Conservative Party. He served as Minister of Local Government from 2020 to 2021.[1] Previously he served as the Minister of International Development from 2018 to 2019 in Prime Minister Erna Solberg's cabinet, being the first since Heikki Holmås from 2012 to 2013. In 2019, he also became the first Minister of Digitalisation after the Christian Democratic Party joined the Cabinet, a post he served in until 2020.

Nikolai Astrup
MP
Astrup in November 2012
Minister of Local Government
In office
24 January 2020 – 14 October 2021
Prime MinisterErna Solberg
Preceded byMonica Mæland
Succeeded byBjørn Arild Gram
Minister of Digitalisation
In office
22 January 2019 – 24 January 2020
Prime MinisterErna Solberg
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byLinda Hofstad Helleland
Minister of International Development
In office
17 January 2018 – 22 January 2019
Prime MinisterErna Solberg
Preceded byHeikki Holmås (2013)
Succeeded byDag Inge Ulstein
Member of the Norwegian Parliament
Assumed office
1 October 2009
DeputyAstrid Nøklebye Heiberg
Camilla Strandskog
Eirik Lae Solberg
ConstituencyOslo
Leader of the Oslo Conservatives
In office
28 January 2012 – 27 January 2018
Preceded byMichael Tetzschner
Succeeded byHeidi Nordby Lunde
Personal details
Born
Nikolai Eivindssøn Astrup

(1978-06-12) 12 June 1978
Oslo, Norway
Political partyConservative
Children3
Alma materLondon School of Economics

Education

Astrup graduated from Institut Le Rosey with an International General Certificate of Secondary Education (1995) and from Berg Upper Secondary School with an International Baccalaureate (1997). He holds a master's degree in European Politics and Governance and a bachelor's degree in International Relations, both from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Early career

Astrup worked in management consulting at Arkwright from 2000 until 2002. Between 2001 and 2008 he was the editor of the conservative periodical Minerva.[2]

Prior to his election to parliament, Astrup worked as political adviser for the Conservative Party parliamentary group and political adviser to the Governing Mayor of Oslo Erling Lae from 2008 until 2009.

Political career

Parliament

Ahead of the 2009 election for parliament, Astrup was nominated as the Conservative Party's fourth candidate for Oslo, considered the last safe seat; he defeated Inge Lønning in the nomination. Astrup was elected Member of Parliament in 2009 and leader of the Conservative Party in Oslo in 2012 and has previously been leader of the Oslo Norwegian Young Conservatives.

Ahead of the election in 2013 Astrup was nominated as the second candidate for Oslo, behind the Minister of Defence, Ine Eriksen Søreide. Due to his relatively young age, he was considered a rising star in the party at the time.[3] After the elections, Astrup was appointed as vice-chair of the Conservative Party Parliamentary Group, and he was re-appointed to this position after the 2017 election.

In parliament, Astrup sat on the Standing Committee on Energy and the Environment from 2009 to 2015, and from 2016 to 2017 he chaired the Standing Committee on Transport and Communication. After the election in 2017 he was appointed chair of the Standing Committee on Finance and is the Conservative's spokesperson on issues relating to these issues.[2] For a number of years Astrup was also spokesperson on European affairs.

Minister

Astrup entered the Solberg cabinet in 2018 as minister of international development, a post he held until 2019. That year he was appointed minister of digitisation, and the year after, minister of local government.

Minister of International Development

Following the Liberal Party’s entrance into the Solberg cabinet, Astrup was appointed minister of international development, the first person to hold the post in six years.

In his capacity as minister, Astrup was appointed by United Nations Secretary General António Guterres in 2018 to the High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation, co-chaired by Melinda Gates and Jack Ma.[4]

Minister of Digitalisation

After the Christian Democratic Party entered government on 22 January 2019, Astrup was appointed minister of digitalisation, the first of its kind.

Minister of Local Government

After the Progress Party withdrew from government in January 2020, Astrup was appointed minister of local government, succeeding Monica Mæland, who had been appointed minister of justice.

Astrup championed the implementation of the Sustainability Development Goals (SDG) in all of government and local municipalities, being among the first countries to localize the 2030-agenda, as the Norwegian prime minister Erna Solberg was the UN Secretary General's co-chair for the SDGs.[5]

Later career

In 2022, Astrup was Norway's candidate to succeed Susanna Moorehead as chair of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee; in the final vote, he lost to Carsten Staur, who won the support of 16 members in the ballot compared to Astrup’s 13.[6]

Other activities

International organizations

Corporate boards
  • Pactum AS, Member of the Board (2010-2015)

Non-profit organizations
  • European Movement in Norway, Vice-President (2012-2013)

Recognition

In March 2011, Astrup was named the "European of the Year" by the JEF Norway.[10]

Personal life

In 2017, Astrup’s estimated net worth was $40 million, making him the wealthiest member of Parliament.[11]

References
  1. "The New Cabinet Presented at the Palace". Romerikes Blad. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  2. "Nikolai Astrup" (in Norwegian). Høyre. December 23, 2009. Archived from the original on 17 December 2009. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  3. Viseth, Ellen Synnøve; Karen R. Tjernshaugen (23 February 2009). "Ung Høyre-stjerne danket ut Lønning" (in Norwegian). Dagsavisen. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  4. Secretary-General's High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation United Nations, press release of July 12, 2018.
  5. "Unique cooperation on sustainable development goals". ks.no. 18 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  6. Vince Chadwick (1 December 2022), How donors broke for Denmark in race to chair aid rule-setting body Devex.
  7. Board of Governors Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
  8. Board of Governors Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), World Bank Group.
  9. Board of Governors World Bank.
  10. Norwegian News Agency (14 March 2011). "Mener Nikolai Astrup er årets europeer". Kommunal Rapport (in Norwegian). Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  11. "– Når ordningen er der kan man ikke klandre folk for at de benytter seg av den". VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2017-02-22.
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