Svalbard Treaty
Through the agreements signed in Paris on February 9, 1920 Svalbard Treaty (Norwegian: Svalbardtraktaten ) received Norway 's sovereignty over the Svalbard archipelago including all islands and rocks 74-81 degrees north latitude and between 10 and 35 degrees east longitude. This includes Hopen about 100 km south-east of the island of Spitsbergen, Bear Island is approximately 240 km south of Svalbard lying (Norwegian: Bjørnøya ), and about 100 km north-east of North Country ( Nordaustland ) located in the Barents Sea Island Kvitøya. With the contract until then also in Norway and Spitsbergen in the Norwegian spelling Spitsbergen known archipelago was renamed in Svalbard.
Background
The previously uninhabited islands were discovered in 1596 by the Dutchman Willem Barents. Spitsbergen was a stateless area, wirtschafteten in which people of different nationalities, especially in the areas of fisheries, whaling, mining, research and later tourism. Due to the statelessness the area for a long time was not regulated by laws and other administrative regulations. So it was in the first half of the 17th century conflicts in terms of whaling between the united Köngigreich, the Netherlands and Denmark - Norway. After discoveries of mineral resources at the beginning of the 20th century there was ongoing conflict between miners and mine owners, which aroused the requirement of government authority.
The Svalbard Treaty in the development and peaceful use of Svalbard should be ensured. Norway is bound by the contract, to ensure that citizens and businesses of all States which have signed the Svalbard Treaty, equal rights on the islands of Svalbard may be economically active. The fishing rights within the 200 -mile limit claimed by Norway.
According to Article 8 of the Spitzberg contract income must remain on the islands by taxes, with the result that the tax rates are low.
Svalbard is a demilitarized zone and the island was declared in the 1950s by the Norwegian Government to neutral territory, where it is, however, allowed NATO to intervene, the demilitarization should be hurt in any way.
Parties
The original signatory States plus Norway were Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (which the contract as well as for the Dominions Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and other British India signed ). Meanwhile, other countries, including Switzerland, Austria and Germany, the Svalbard Treaty acceded.
States Parties shall include:
- Afghanistan since November 23, 1925
- Egypt: since September 13, 1925
- Albania: since April 29, 1930
- Argentina: since May 6, 1927
- Australia: since August 14, 1925
- Belgium: since May 27, 1925
- Bulgaria: since October 20, 1925
- Chile: since December 17, 1928
- China: since June 1, 1925
- Denmark: since August 14, 1925
- Germany: since September 7, 1925
- Dominican Republic: since February 3, 1927
- Finland: since August 12, 1925
- France: since August 14, 1925
- Greece: since October 21, 1925
- India: since August 14, 1925
- Iceland: since May 31, 1994
- Italy: since August 14, 1925
- Japan: since August 14, 1925
- Yugoslavia, former: since June 6, 1925
- Canada: since August 14, 1925
- Monaco: since June 22, 1925
- New Zealand: since August 14, 1925
- Netherlands: August since 1) 14 1925
- Norway: since August 14, 1925
- Austria: since March 12, 1930
- Poland: since September 2, 1931
- Portugal: since August 14, 1925
- Romania: since June 10, 1925
- Russian Federation ( the legal successor of the Soviet Union from its resolution): since May 7, 1935
- Saudi Arabia: since August 14, 1925
- Sweden: since August 14, 1925
- Switzerland: since June 30, 1925
- Soviet Union, former: since May 7, 1935
- Spain: since November 12, 1925
- South Africa: since August 14 192
- Czechoslovakia, former: since June 9, 1930
- Hungary: since August 14, 1925
- Venezuela August 14, 1925
- United Kingdom: since August 14, 1925
- United States: since August 14, 1925