Norway Restricts Arctic Property Sale Citing National Security
Longyearbyen, on Spitsbergen island, in the Svalbard Archipelago.
Photographer: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images
Norway’s government ordered that any negotiations or agreements on the sale of a parcel of private land on the Arctic islands of Svalbard have to be cleared by the state in advance.
The current owners of a 14,830-acre plot about 40 miles from the town of Longyearbyen have put the property up for sale. They have said they are “open to selling to actors who can challenge Norwegian legislation on Svalbard,” the Trade and Industry Minister Cecilie Myrseth said in a statement on Monday. Such a transaction could disrupt stability in the area and potentially threaten Norwegian interests, said the ministry, confirming that prior and express consent is needed for any deal.