| Treaty recognising the sovereignty of Norway over the Archipelago of Spitsbergen, including Bear Island Traité reconnaissant la souveraineté de la Norvège sur l'archipel du Spitsberg, y compris l'île aux Ours | |
|---|---|
 Ratifications of the treaty | |
| Signed | 9 February 1920 |
| Location | Paris, France |
| Effective | 14 August 1925 |
| Condition | Ratification by all the signatory powers |
| Parties | 48[1][2][3] – see list |
| Depositary | Government of the French Republic |
| Languages | French and English |
| Full text | |
 Spitsbergen Treaty at Wikisource | |
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 not all Norwegian law applies. The treaty restricts military uses of the archipelago, but it is not demilitarized.[4] The signatories were given equal rights to engage in commercial activities (mainly coal mining) on the islands.[5] As of 2024[update], Norway and Russia make use of this right.
Uniquely, the archipelago is an entirely visa-free zone under the terms of the Svalbard Treaty.[6]
The treaty was signed on 9 February 1920 and submitted for registration in the League of Nations Treaty Series on 21 October 1920.[7] There were 14 original High Contracting Parties: Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands,[8] Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom (including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and India), and the United States.[9] Of the original signatories, Japan was the last to ratify the treaty on 2 April 1925, and the treaty came into force on 14 August 1925.[10]
Many additional nations acceded to the treaty after it was ratified by the original signatories, including several before it came into force. As of 2024[update], there are 48 parties to the treaty.[1][2][3]
- ^ a b "Traités et accords de la France" [Treaties and agreements of France] (in French). Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Treaty concerning the Archipelago of Spitsbergen, including Bear Island". Treaty Database of the Netherlands. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Kundmachung: Geltungsbereich des Vertrages über Spitzbergen" [Announcement: Area of application of the Treaty on Spitsbergen] (in German). Federal Law Gazette for the Republic of Austria. 30 July 2024.
- ^ Jensen, Øyvind (2020). "The Svalbard Treaty and Norwegian Sovereignty". Arctic Review on Law and Politics. 11. Cappelen Damm: 82–107. doi:10.23865/arctic.v11.2348. hdl:11250/2765342. ISSN 2387-4562. JSTOR 48710626. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
- ^ Berg, Roald (2023), Howkins, Adrian; Roberts, Peder (eds.), "The Genesis of the Spitsbergen/Svalbard Treaty, 1871–1920", The Cambridge History of the Polar Regions, Cambridge University Press, pp. 354–377, doi:10.1017/9781108555654.015, ISBN 978-1-108-42993-1
- ^ Immigrants warmly welcomed, Al Jazeera, 4 July 2006.
- ^ League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. 2, pp. 8–19
- ^ On Dutch interest and historical claims see Muller, Hendrik, 'Nederland's historische rechten op Spitsbergen', Tijdschrift van het Koninklijk Nederlandsch Aardrijkskundig Genootschap 2e serie, deel 34 (1919) no. 1, 94–104.
- ^ "Original Spitsbergen Treaty". Archived from the original on 2 July 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ Spitsbergen Treaty and Ratification (in Norwegian)