While Norwegian citizens always have the right to enter, the border is almost closed to others. Those who according to the government can not travel to Norway now, are, among others, more distant family members, girlfriends or fiancés.
In a press release, the law firm Andersen & Bache-Wiig writes through lawyer Lina Smorr now assists persons “who experience significant encroachments on their right to family life as a result of entry restrictions in connection with covid-19.”
The group is organized in the Facebook group “Us with family or boyfriend abroad during covid-19, 2020/2021” and has over 10,000 members.
“According to current rules, the borders are virtually closed to anyone who is not resident in Norway. This means that girlfriends, grandparents or parents of adult children living in Norway are not allowed to enter at all “, the press release states.
RECEIVES A LOST LETTER: Minister of Justice and Emergency Management Monica Mæland and Minister of Health and Care Services Bent Høie. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB
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A letter has today been sent to the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness with a copy to the Ministry of Health and Care Services, the Norwegian Directorate of Health and NIPH.
The letter emphasizes that the entry restrictions constitute disproportionate and unlawful interference with this group’s right to privacy and family life under the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.
“The purpose of the letter is to help the authorities identify the encroachments on fundamental human rights this group is experiencing, and call for a thorough proportionality assessment and early relief for the group,” said lawyer Smorr.
She goes on to say that this group has borne an unreasonable burden of action over time compared to other groups, “so that facilitations in step 3 are absolutely necessary to safeguard their fundamental rights.”
– The other Nordic countries have understood that you can not keep a couple separate just because one is a foreigner. They have found solutions for safe reunification without it leading to more infection than we have here. It is therefore very painful and sad to see that the government insists that Norway should be the worst in the class on love, says Richard Flaaten, spokesman for the group.
Who is someone close and dear is composed, Flaaten believes.
– That is why we react to differential treatment. A family life in 2021 is not A4, and thus the authorities must show great flexibility and understanding when rules for entry to Norway are to be set. The government must recognize that close family is more than the nuclear family and includes girlfriends, adult children and grandparents, he says.
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