Check against delivery

The Barents cooperation is now almost 13 years old. A good deal of work has been done and the various Barents activities and institutions have become a normal feature of cooperation in the north. But how can we increase its relevance and effectiveness even further? There are in my view three basic issues here: the political and practical content of the cooperation, the organisational set-up and the financing of joint activities and programmes.

The strength of the Barents cooperation lies in its regionally based, direct cross-border cooperation. The principle of joint working groups should be further developed with the aim of strengthening regional involvement in key sectors like health, education and energy. The aim is not centralisation but regionalisation.

Norway has commissioned a brief independent review of the cooperation. The report, which has been written by Mr Erling Fløtten, former chairman of the Finnmark County Council, is available here in this room. Its recommendations are mainly related to the regional level of the cooperation, and could be fed into the review process already under way there. But there is at least one issue that is also of interest to the government level of the cooperation, namely the question of an international secretariat.

Without going into detail, it is fair to say that the changing chairmanships at both central and regional levels have a drawback in the form of a lack of permanence and institutional memory. A whole range of activities would benefit from the existence of a permanent common secretariat, which should be small and lean.

I am pleased to be able to offer Kirkenes as a location for such a small international secretariat, of course on terms acceptable to our partners. Norway would be willing to bear a proportionally greater financial responsibility for its operation.

I propose that today we take note of the brief evaluation report mentioned above and instruct the CSO to review the matter in close cooperation with the Regional Council and Committee. Our aim should be to come up with a joint proposal, supported by the centre and the regions, in 2006, so that the necessary decisions can be made and the new secretariat hopefully made operational in a future not too far.

In parallel we need to do more to strengthen the financial aspects of the cooperation, including better coordination and use of available national and international funding. Important opportunities will undoubtedly be created by the EU European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument from 2007 onwards.
I would also like to emphasise the importance of the annual contact meetings between the chairs of the four regional bodies, and of the increased dialogue and involvement of the Barents Council in matters relating to the Northern Dimension.
Before leaving the floor to Governor Andersson, I would like to take the opportunity to thank Västerbotten for a job well done, and to wish Karelia the best of luck in the chair of the Barents Regional Council.

[Thank you].