White paper on opportunities and challenges in the northern areas

A white paper entitled Opportunities and Challenges in the North (Report No. 30 (2004-2005) to the Storting) was presented to the Council of State today. In the white paper, the Government gives an account of the new opportunities and challenges Norway is facing in the northern areas and how it intends to address them with a view to securing political stability and sustainable development in the region.

“The northern areas have always been important in Norwegian foreign policy,” said Foreign Minister Jan Petersen. “But the focus has shifted from security policy to natural resource policy. We must develop a new, holistic policy for an area that is rich in resources and that involves new framework conditions. And this must be done in close co-operation with other countries.”

“There is no single approach to the tasks we are facing. We need a broad range of tools. I will give higher priority to the tools we have and know to be useful. Our bilateral co-operation with Russia and the Barents co-operation are among the most important of these. But we will also develop new tools for implementing Norwegian northern areas policy. I attach particular importance to ensuring that our close partners have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the complexity of the situation in the northern areas,” said Mr Petersen.

Measures announced in the white paper

The Government will strengthen project co-operation in the Barents region. This will also involve strengthening the Barents Secretariat in Kirkenes.

As one means of doing this, the Government will propose to the other Member States that an evaluation of the Barents co-operation should be carried out. An evaluation could explore whether the Barents co-operation could be strengthened by establishing an international Barents Secretariat.

The Government supports the idea of establishing a Barents Institute in Kirkenes, which will work particularly on issues related to resource exploitation and regional co-operation.

The Government will initiate dialogues on the northern areas with key western countries and institutions, to begin with the USA, Canada, France, Germany, the UK and the EU. In this way the Government hopes to enhance knowledge of the northern areas and understanding of Norway’s views and priorities on important issues.

The development of the petroleum resources in the northern areas will open up new opportunities for co-operation between Norwegian and Russian companies. The Government will work to ensure that Norwegian companies have an opportunity to participate in the development of Russian oil and gas fields in the north.

The Government wants Norway to continue playing a leading role in the efforts to assist Russia in the nuclear cleanup efforts in the north. The Government will therefore intensify its nuclear safety efforts in northwestern Russia.

The Government will strengthen efforts to increase commercial co-operation in the North, for example by working to facilitate goods transport across the Norwegian-Russian border. The Government also intends to establish a new position for a commercial officer at the consulate general in Murmansk.

Norway will take over the chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2006. The chairmanship is for a two-year period, and will thus coincide with the next International Polar Year. The Government will use the chairmanship to strengthen the Arctic Council, particularly as regards its role in efforts to deal with environmental and climate issues.

In connection with its efforts to enhance international research co-operation in the northern areas, the Government will advocate the establishment of an international research fund devoted particularly to the impact of climate change on the environment and natural resources and to indigenous issues. The Government will also work to intensify research co-operation with Russia.

The Government will propose to the Storting that funds be allocated for building up national knowledge in the marine field, which will also involve continuing to chart the extent of the Norwegian continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles.

The Government will ensure that indigenous issues are an important feature of Norwegian northern areas policy. For example, the Government has decided to establish an international reindeer husbandry centre, which will open in Kautokeino this autumn.

The Government will work to strengthen emergency and rescue services co-operation in the north. The exercise Barents Rescue scheduled for the autumn will include participants from the Nordic countries and Russia, and will yield valuable information on where and how efforts in this field should be intensified.

The Government will work to enhance co-ordination of Norway’s northern areas policy, and will assign responsibility for this to a State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Government will also establish an interministerial committee on the northern areas and a liaison committee for the northern areas to facilitate contact between the central government administration, other public authorities and civil society.