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During the years 2020–2024, a review of the national boundary between Sweden and Norway is underway.
Mission
The Swedish government has appointed a Swedish boundary commission at Lantmäteriet and commissioned it to review the national boundary between Sweden and Norway. The work will be completed in 2024 and is carried out together with a boundary commission at the Norwegian Kartverket.
Lantmäteriet is responsible for the review of the northern part of the boundary, from marker 185B close to Valsjöbyn in northern Jämtland up to Treriksröset. That work is then controlled by Norway. Norway is responsible for the review of the southern part of the boundary, from Idefjorden to marker 185B. The work is then controlled by Sweden.
The review enables an orderly boundary
The purpose of the review is to provide an up-to-date and orderly documentation of the national boundary's location and how it is marked. During the boundary review, the boundary commission is working with restoring, painting yellow and measuring the boundary markers. A five-metre-wide clearing are (below the tree line) cut down and made free of trees and shrubs.
The Swedish Boundary Commission
The Swedish boundary commission consists of Susanne Ås Sivborg (Director General, Head Boundary Commissioner), Martin Lidberg (Head of Department, Boundary Commissioner), Dan Norin (Geodesist, Geodetic Expert and Secretary) and Per Sörbom (Strategy Manager, Cadastral Information Expert). In addition, Michael Munter is the Project Manager.
In the latest review of the national boundary between Sweden and Norway, which was carried out during the years 1984–1987, Sweden was responsible for the southern part. Jim Widmark was Swedish Head Boundary Commissioner and Åke Gustafsson was Swedish Boundary Commissioner.
Work during 2020–2024
The work began in 2020 with a reconnaissance of the entire northern part and with some fieldwork. The fieldwork has thereafter continued in large scale during 2021 and 2022. Prior to the fieldwork, which is planned to be completed in 2023, property owners and other stakeholders along the boundary are contacted. The fieldwork includes:
- The boundary line is set out with sticks.
- The 5-metre-wide clearing (2.5 metres into each country) is made based on a recommendation from the Nordic Council 1957 (since 1751 there is a formal right to clear 10 metres wide). Since the clearing shall be completely free of branches etc., some trees and shrubs outside the clearing will also be cleared and possibly felled.
- Boundary markers are restored and measured accurately with modern technology.
- All cairns are painted yellow and inscriptions are painted black.
The progress of the fieldwork during 2021 and 2022 has been good. The work with 92 % of the boundary markers (cairns) and 78 % of the boundary signs was after the field season 2022 finalised. Furthermore, the 5-metre-wide clearing has been cleared along 47 % of the stretch where it exists. The last year of the review (2024) will mainly be devoted to documenting the work.
Current work
The work that is currently planned in the ongoing review of the national boundary between Sweden and Norway is:
- 27 October 2022: Sixth commission meeting between the Swedish and Norwegian boundary commissions.
- Early summer 2023: The boundary commission resumes the fieldwork.