Relationship dossier
Belgium
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Relationship assessment
Belgium participates in the treaty framework for Svalbard; Svalbard and Jan Mayen have no independent foreign policy.
Belgium toward Svalbard and Jan Mayen
+10Belgium is a party to the Svalbard Treaty, which establishes the international framework for Svalbard and grants treaty parties specified rights there.
Svalbard and Jan Mayen toward Belgium
Not assessedSvalbard and Jan Mayen are administered by Norway and do not conduct an independent foreign policy toward Belgium.
Overall relationship
Not assessedHow to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Belgium is a party to the 1920 Svalbard Treaty, which sets the international framework for Svalbard and grants treaty parties specified rights there. Svalbard and Jan Mayen are administered by Norway and do not conduct an independent foreign policy toward Belgium.
Key developments
Belgium signed the Svalbard Treaty, establishing a treaty framework governing Svalbard and the rights of participating states.
Major uncertainties
- The practical scope of Belgian activity under the Svalbard Treaty is unclear.
- The combined Svalbard and Jan Mayen designation includes territories with different legal arrangements.