Did Eide’s son receive a grant for the Paris internship?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has failed to answer questions regarding potential grants awarded to Espen Barth Eide’s son. A lack of transparency and a deleted webpage suggest a deliberate cover-up and render the Foreign Minister’s apologies worthless.
February 21, 2026 | NORWEGIAN POLITICS
Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide. Photo: Cecilie Stuedal, regjeringen.no
Eide's son got an internship
A few weeks ago, it was revealed that Espen Barth Eide’s son had begun an internship at the Norwegian Embassy in Paris. Following inquiries from NRK regarding the appointment, it emerged that Eide was in a conflict of interest when his son was awarded the position. Although the selection was made by Norway’s Ambassador to France, Vegar Sundsbø Brynildsen, both were legally disqualified due to Eide’s role as Foreign Minister. In such cases, the entire Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) is considered disqualified, and the matter must be handled by an acting minister from a different department.
The application process and the awarding of the internship took place last autumn, with the position starting in January. Two weeks after commencement, the son withdrew from the internship as a result of the public disclosure. While the internship is an unpaid position, it has not yet been reported in the media that the role qualifies for significant grants.
Removed webpage
A webpage from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding internships and grants in Paris was removed on February 11, the same day the story broke in the news. Technical crawling data shows the page was active on February 10, only to be deleted the following day. Had this page remained active, information regarding these grants would have been easily accessible to the press and the public.
Scholarships
Below is an overview of the grants an embassy internship qualifies for, which Espen Barth Eide’s son may have applied for and been awarded:
MFA Grant for internships in Paris: NOK 18,500 per month
Erasmus+ Grant for interns in Europe (€650): approx. NOK 7,000 per month
Lånekassen (State Educational Loan Fund) grant and travel support: approx. NOK 6,500 per month
Total potential grants for a 6-month period: NOK 190,500
The MFA does not respond
Society & Politics (S&P) submitted the following questions to the MFA a week ago, but has yet to receive a response:
Did Eide’s son apply for and receive approval for grants in connection with the internship?
If yes:
a) Which grants were involved, and for what amounts?
b) Have any disbursed grants been, or will they be, repaid?
NRK requested a statement from Eide regarding the internship on Monday, February 9. The Foreign Minister preempted NRK's reporting by going public himself via a press release and a press conference early on the morning of February 11.
The MFA will likely claim that the webpage in question was removed because the Paris internship had been filled, and that the timing—February 11—was coincidental. However, other embassies continue to keep similar pages active even after their internship positions are occupied (see list below).
In this case, we see an example of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs engaging in damage control rather than practicing transparency and openness regarding all aspects of the matter. Consequently, the apology offered by Espen Barth Eide remains worthless.
SOURCES
Government of Norway
Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide apologizes for conflict-of-interest errorNRK
Foreign minister deemed conflicted when his son received internshipAltinget
Eide’s conflict-of-interest mistake when his son obtained embassy internshipGovernment of Norway
Student internship programNorwegian State Educational Loan Fund (Lånekassen)
Rules and allocationMinistry of Foreign Affairs (Norway)
Internship program Paris (page removed 11.02.26)Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Selection of internship pages for other embassies active on February 21, 2026:
https://www.norway.no/en/singapore/norway-singapore/news-events/studentpraktikant-varen-2026/
https://www.norway.no/no/iceland/norge-island/nyheter-arr/praktikantutlysning-var-2026/
https://www.norway.no/en/missions/un-rome/Norway_in_Rome/studentpraktikant2/
https://www.norway.no/en/ireland/for-nordmenn/studentpraktikant-varen-2026/
If you wish to find more, you can paste the following into the Google search field:
site:norway.no "studentpraktikant" "nyheter og arrangementer"
Content on Society and Politics is based on reliable sources and actual events, providing a news-oriented perspective intented for further debate. To access the article’s author and the related debate, membership on Hudd is required.
