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 archipelago. The law was passed by the

Parliament of Norway The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years bas ...

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,

civil law Civil law may refer to: * Civil law (common law), the part of law that concerns private citizens and legal persons * Civil law (legal system), or continental law, a legal system originating in continental Europe and based on Roman law ** Private la ...

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 are ...

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 The governor of Svalbard ( no, Sysselmesteren på Svalbard) represents the Norwegian government in exercising its sovereignty over the Svalbard archipelago (Spitsbergen). The position reports to the Norwegian Ministry of Justice, but it main ...

, and since 2002,

Longyearbyen Community Council Longyearbyen Community Council ( no, Longyearbyen lokalstyre) is the local government for Longyearbyen in Svalbard, Norway. It has many of the same responsibilities of a municipality. It is organized with a 15-member council which since 2011 has ...

. The act also establishes rules for real estate and environmental protection. The act was passed as a response to the

Spitsbergen Treaty The Svalbard Treaty (originally the Spitsbergen Treaty) recognises the sovereignty of Norway over the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, at the time called Spitsbergen. The exercise of sovereignty is, however, subject to certain stipulations, and n ...

of 9 February 1920, which established Norwegian sovereignty of Svalbard, but limited the archipelago to a

free economic zone Free economic zones (FEZ), free economic territories (FETs) or free zones (FZ) are a class of special economic zone (SEZ) designated by the trade and commerce administrations of various countries. The term is used to designate areas in which co ...

and

demilitarized zone A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel. A DZ often lies along an established frontier or bounda ...

. The act established the basis for an orderly

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.family law Family law (also called matrimonial law or the law of domestic relations) is an area of the law that deals with family matters and domestic relations. Overview Subjects that commonly fall under a nation's body of family law include: * Marri ...

; 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