Verdict in the lawsuit regarding the 23rd licensing round

Oslo District Court has thus accepted the Governments argument that decision to award licenses to search for petroleum in the Barents Sea, is not a violation of section 112 of the Norwegian Constitution. The Court held that section 112 is a provision that establishes a right for everyone, and an obligation for the authorities to implement measures to safeguard the environment. In this instance, the authorities had implemented sufficient measures to safeguard the environment. Thus, there was no violation of section 112. Further, the District Court agrees with the Government that the process up until the award of the production licenses in 2016 was lawful. The thorough process ensured that different scientific, technical as well as political views were discussed. The Government thus had a sound basis for its decision to award the production licenses.

The verdict can be read here (Norwegian only).