High North News - English

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has awarded Johs. J Syltern AS the task of building the E10 Evenes airport junction in Northern Norway. Work will start just over the summer.

The contractor from Åfjord in Trøndelag, Mid Norway, won the contract in competition with northern Norwegian Leonhard Nilsen and Sons AS (LNS) and Hæhre AS in Southern Norway.

"Syltern came out best on all criteria in the competition", says project manager Geir Hartz Jørgensen.

In addition to price, the bidders have competed on the quality criteria of organization, offering key personnel and describing the implementation of the project.

The junction with the exit to the airport on today's E10 is dangerous and therefore has reduced speed. Among other things, those who walk and cycle must use the shoulder of the road on the E10 to and from the hotel and business area east of the airport.

The upcoming development will provide new and safe access for everyone going to and from Evenes Airport, hotels and the commercial area. Through traffic on the E10 will be lifted up and away from the intersection on its own bridge.

The airport and the commercial areas to the east will have a common access further north on the current E10 with a 100-meter exit lane in each direction.

Syltern AS has undertaken to do the job for NOK 285.2 million. Construction is expected to start in the summer of 2026 and the new intersection will be completed in December 2028.

The Norwegian Armed Forces have applied for the establishment of a permanent restricted area over the Norwegian Arctic island Jan Mayen. This is reported by the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority.

The area will be activated when necessary through the issuance of the Notice To Airmen (NOTAM) safety message. This will happen directly from the Norwegian Armed Forces to the Icelandic NOTAM office, the Norwegian Armed Forces propose in the application.

The Norwegian Armed Forces believe that they have an operational need to be able to use the entire airspace over Jan Mayen.

Until now, the Norwegian Armed Forces have applied for the establishment of a temporary restricted area when necessary, but consider this procedure to be less appropriate, as this would impose extra administrative work on them.

The establishment of temporary restricted areas could affect civil aviation, but the Norwegian Armed Forces specify in the application that this will only apply for a shorter period of time.

The consultation is open to everyone, with a consultation deadline of 10 July 2026.

The Nordic Council Presidium held its summer meeting in Nuuk this year, following a decision earlier in the year to move the meeting from Rovaniemi as a clear expression of solidarity with Greenland.

This was announced by the Nordic Council in a press release.

The Nordic Council Presidium is the highest political and decision-making body of the Nordic Council between its annual sessions. The Presidium is responsible for overarching political issues, administration, the budget, and foreign and security policy. It also leads and coordinates the Council's other work.

In conjunction with the meetings, Nordic Council President Ville Väyrynen participated in Greenland’s National Day celebrations and met with representatives from Inatsisartut, the health sector, and Canada’s representation in Greenland. Weather conditions meant that some Presidium members had to participate digitally, but the program in Nuuk was carried out as planned.

The Presidium discussed, among other things, work on a new Nordic strategy for societal security and met with Greenlandic authorities and societal stakeholders to discuss Arctic security, civil preparedness, children's rights, and social resilience. The discussions underscored that Nordic security is about far more than military defense, in line with the Finnish-Ålandic presidency program’s emphasis on comprehensive security.

At the same time, the visit reaffirmed the importance of close Nordic cooperation and of standing united with Greenland during a time of geopolitical uncertainty. The Nordic Council holds six ordinary meetings per year.