The ''Svalbard Act'' of 17 July 1925 no. 11, normally referred to as the ''Svalbard Act'' ( no, Lov om Svalbard or colloquially ), is a law of Norway which governs the major aspects of the

Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group rang ...

archipelago. The law was passed by the Parliament of Norway on 17 July 1925, establishes Norwegian

sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...

of the island, and states that Norwegian

criminal law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It prescribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and moral welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal law ...

, civil law and

procedure law Procedural law, adjective law, in some jurisdictions referred to as remedial law, or rules of court, comprises the rules by which a court hears and determines what happens in civil, lawsuit, criminal or administrative proceedings. The rules ar ...

are enforced on the island. Otherwise, other provisions and laws only apply when specified. The act further established the policy for administration, including creating the Governor of Svalbard, and since 2002, Longyearbyen Community Council. The act also establishes rules for real estate and environmental protection. The act was passed as a response to the Spitsbergen Treaty of 9 February 1920, which established Norwegian sovereignty of Svalbard, but limited the archipelago to a free economic zone and demilitarized zone. The act established the basis for an orderly civil society on the islands, which had until that point been prone to lawlessness among miners, fishermen and hunters. The law has been amended several times, and consists of 6 chapters and 46 paragraphs. Chapter One (§§1–4) covers the relationship between Norway and Svalbard; Chapter Two (§§5–13) pertains to governance and courts; Chapter Three (§§14–21) concerns family law; Chapter Four (§§22–28) governs property law; Chapter Five (§§29–44) establishes the Longyearbyen Community Council, and Chapter Six (§§45–46) consists of miscellaneous provisions. From 1 July 2002, the ''Svalbard Environmental Act'' of 15 June 2001 nr. 79 supplements the ''Svalbard Act'', regulating all environmental aspects of the archipelago.

References

External links

Svalbard Act
at

Lovdata Lovdata is a Norwegian foundation which publishes judicial information of Norway. It publishes the periodical '' Norsk lovtidend'', and ''Lov&Data'' and ''EuroRett'', and hosts a website with free, public access to all Norwegian laws and othe ...

Law of Norway Act Government of the Arctic {{svalbard-stub