5 Economic and administrative consequences

Preventive national security work aims to increase security in society. Security and security measures can be costly, and the proposed measures in this report could entail political and financial costs for the Norwegian society. However, the lack of appropriate level of security can have huge societal and economic consequences. Measures must therefore be understandable and proportionate, and must be used in such a way that they contribute to predictability and trust, balance various considerations and also contribute to safeguarding national security.

Significant parts of national security work, and work with cyber security, take place in each individual sector, based on the Security Act and relevant sector legislation, as well as specific requirements and recommendations for cyber security work. The security work must be an integrated part of ordinary management. If the risk and threat picture changes, it is important that the measures and policy apparatus are adjusted accordingly. It follows from the Security Act that cost-benefit assessments must be made before security measures are decided. The government aims to strengthen national security in several central areas. This report refers to a number of measures. Any expenditure that exceeds the current budget framework will be returned to by the government in connection with annual budget proposals.