Strengthening security in the Foreign Service

The Government has proposed allocating NOK 140 million to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to strengthen security at the diplomatic and consular missions as well as at the Ministry in Oslo. 

“In today’s world, diplomatic missions are more vulnerable than they were before. To ensure the safety of our employees and to be able to maintain the smooth running of our activities in difficult periods, we propose an allocation of NOK 35 million for the implementation of physical security measures at our missions,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide.

In the light of the important focus on security and emergency preparedness with regard to public institutions in Norway there is also a need to upgrade the basic security of Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ buildings in Oslo. It is proposed that NOK 65 million be allocated for this purpose.  

In addition, the Government has proposed an allocation of NOK 40 million for upgrading and securing the Ministry’s ICT infrastructure. This will ensure a robust communications network, both for internal communication and for communication with other actors.

“It is crucial that we have reliable systems for communicating with our diplomatic and consular missions, not least in crisis situations. We are also seeing an increase in threats of cyber attacks, which means that there is a need to further protect the Ministry’s ICT infrastructure,” said Mr Eide.