LexBlog (LexBlog Norway)

Last week, the Supreme Court of Norway in State v. Jehovah’s Witnesses, (Høyesterett, April 29, 2026), invalidated decisions of government officials that denied state funding and registration as a religious community to Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Court also issued a press release summarizing the decision. The press release reads in part: The State argued that the religious community’s practice...

Editor’s Note: Reporters Without Borders released its 2026 World Press Freedom Index on April 30, 2026, recording the lowest global score in 25 years and naming the legal indicator as the dimension declining fastest worldwide. Norway held the top spot for the 10th straight year, the Nordic and Baltic states accounted for nearly half of...

Norwegian NIS Registration & Process Agent Services | How AGPLAW Assists Shipowners in Structured Flag Transitions The Norwegian maritime sector occupies a distinctive position in the global shipping industry. Unlike the large-scale shipbuilding jurisdictions of East Asia, Norway is not primarily associated with mass production of bulk carriers or container vessels. Instead, the country has...

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Saturday urged authorities on Norway to release human rights defender Tommy Olsen and block his extradition to Greece. The rights organization warned that extraditing Tommy Olsen could expose him to serious violations and undermine Norway’s obligations to protect activists. On March 16, Olsen was arrested in his home in Tromsø,...

As highlighted in this prior post, in April 2025 PetroNor E&P ASA (an Africa-focused independent oil and gas exploration and production company listed in Norway) announced the closure of a DOJ investigation regarding allegations of corruption – while also noting that an investigation by law enforcement in its home country was still ongoing. Økokrim, a...

Claude AI is now embedded directly inside Microsoft Excel — not as a chatbot you paste into, but with full awareness of your formulas, tabs, and cell references. It costs $20/month. One user built an 11-tab financial model in 10 minutes. Norway’s sovereign wealth fund reports saving 213,000 hours. The work that took days now...

Later today, President Trump is scheduled to speak at the World Economic Forum at Davos about housing affordability, which has no bearing on the subject for which the Forum exists and is unlikely to be the topic of Trump’s meandering stream of consciousness speech, which is more likely to touch upon the 2020 “rigged” election,...

Findings from an audit in Norway show the country has a functional official control system for produce but there are several weaknesses. Norway is part of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) monitors how the country implements European Economic Area (EEA) rules on food and feed safety, animal health, and...

Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) are now central to how nations stabilize fiscal balances, diversify assets, and project financial influence. Norway’s oil fund, Singapore’s Temasek, and the Gulf states’ investment vehicles all serve as stabilizers and strategic tools in global markets. The U.S., despite being the world’s largest economy and financial hub, remains without such an...

The restaurant linked to a hepatitis A outbreak in Norway has reopened. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) said there are 38 patients with probable connection to the outbreak, of which 27 have been confirmed by genomic sequencing. Patients were tested between July 10 and Aug. 14. Twenty-five live in Oslo, 11 in Akershus,...

Norway’s wealth tax has become one of the most divisive issues in its upcoming election. The tax requires individuals with fortunes above a certain level to pay an annual levy, which the government argues is necessary to support the welfare…

Researchers have detailed the largest Salmonella outbreak in Norway since the 1980s and highlighted the need for improved detection methods. The outbreak from October to December 2024 involved four serovars: Salmonella Newport, Typhimurium, Kisarawe, and Kinondoni and was traced to alfalfa sprouts. The sprouts were produced by a Norwegian facility using seeds from an Italian supplier. A...

Editor’s Note: Stargate Norway is more than a new data center — it is a test case for aligning advanced AI infrastructure with renewable energy, regional economic benefit, and European jurisdictional compliance. For professionals in cybersecurity, information governance, and eDiscovery, the facility’s combination of scale, local hosting, and sustainability provides both operational advantages and

More than 20 people have been infected with the hepatitis A virus after eating at a restaurant in Norway. So far, 22 cases have been linked to the food service at Frognerseteren restaurant in Oslo. Frognerseteren decided to close on Aug. 2 and has promised to review and strengthen hygiene and food safety routines. The...

Editor’s Note: Cyber attacks rarely follow borders—but the Tallinn Mechanism ensures that resilience can. Now with Norway joining twelve other donor nations, this multinational framework, anchored in Estonia, is actively coordinating real-time, civilian-focused cyber defense in Ukraine. For professionals in cybersecurity, information governance, and eDiscovery, the Mechanism is more than a...

Findings from three seafood monitoring programs in Norway have revealed some non-compliances but an overall positive picture. The Institute of Marine Research analyzed 43 samples of fish and fish products for histamine content in 2024. Samples were collected by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet) at retail and processing plants. In two samples, histamine was...

Foodborne outbreaks declined in Norway in 2024, but the number of people sick in them increased, mainly because of one of the largest Salmonella outbreaks in decades. More outbreaks led to the number of Salmonella patients being the highest for more than a decade in 2024. Salmonellosis increased from 756 infections in 2023 to 1,197...

Norway has reported the lowest rate of Campylobacter positive broiler flocks since 2009. In 2024, 70 out of more than 2,000 broiler flocks tested positive for Campylobacter as part of a food safety surveillance program. The Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet), Animalia, and the poultry industry annually monitor Campylobacter in broilers slaughtered...

As highlighted here, in early 2022 PetroNor E&P ASA (an Africa-focused independent oil and gas exploration and production company listed in Norway) disclosed: “PetroNor E&P ASA has previously announced that the National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime in Norway (Økokrim) in December 2021 opened investigations into criminal charges and allegations...

An audit in Norway has revealed progress in the system for import checks of products of animal origin but some areas still need further attention. Norway is part of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) monitors how the country implements European Economic Area (EEA) rules on food and feed safety,...

Norway has reported its largest foodborne outbreak in almost 50 years with 230 people sick. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) said 105 people are infected with Salmonella Newport and 120 with Salmonella Typhimurium. The remaining five are infected with other types of Salmonella. Patients became ill from mid-October to mid-December 2024. They range...

A risk assessment in Norway has supported previous findings showing it is unlikely that Echinococcus multilocularis will be imported into the country via contaminated produce. The Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment (VKM) reviewed data on the contamination of fresh produce with the parasite, the spread of Echinococcus multilocularis in Sweden and other countries,...

The number of people sickened in an outbreak of Salmonella in Norway involving alfalfa sprouts has doubled to almost 50. In an update provided by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI), the patient count rose by 26 to 49. This includes 42 infected with Salmonella Newport and seven with Salmonella Typhimurium. Illness onset dates...

Norwegian officials are investigating a national outbreak of Salmonella that may be linked to alfalfa sprouts. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) said 23 people had fallen sick with Salmonella Newport from nine regions. Patients have been reported since mid-October. They range in age from 18 to 79 with a median of 48 years...

Testing of imported seafood in Norway has found all samples were compliant with the regulations. Findings come from a report with results on the monitoring program for veterinary border control on aquatic products imported to Norway from countries outside the EU and the European Economic Area in 2023. Staff at Norwegian Border Inspection Posts collected samples....

Authorities in Norway are investigating a Salmonella outbreak linked to contact with birds and cats. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) said it has seen an increase in the number of people infected with Salmonella Typhimurium in recent months. Some sick people belong to an outbreak where contact with small birds or cats is...

Norwegian health officials are investigating the reasons behind a spike in Salmonella cases, which have sickened more than 30 people. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) said the number of people infected with Salmonella typhimurium has increased in recent months. So far this year, 33 people have fallen sick. Patients live all over the...

Early yesterday morning, a cruise passenger went overboard from the MSC Euribia while the cruise ship was sailing in the Sognefjord fjord between Lavik and Oppedal in Norway. The Norwegian newspaper Bergens Tidende reports that a passenger “in his late 50’s,” who was traveling with his wife, went overboard around 2:00 a.m. early Thursday morning....

E. coli infections hit a record high in Norway in 2023, while other pathogens are returning to levels seen before the Coronavirus pandemic. Data published by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) shows that the number of Campylobacter, Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria infections rose compared to the previous year, while Yersinia cases fell....

The number of outbreaks and people sick in them declined in Norway in 2023, but this past year saw the country record one of its most serious-ever E. coli outbreaks. Twenty-five outbreaks were caused by contaminated foodstuffs, with 518 people sick. This is down from 34 outbreaks and 628 cases in 2022. For eight outbreaks...