A Resource-rich region in Europe

The Barents region is a region that increasingly attracts international attention. It is a region with vast resources and a great potential for new economic development.

Since 2005, the High North has been the Norwegian Government’s most important strategic foreign policy priority. The Barents Euro-Arctic cooperation plays a key part in this.

 It has been a driving force in our cross-border and regional cooperation since 1993, and has continually grown in scope and importance. The Barents region is a fertile meeting place for all levels of society, the national, the regional, the local, indigenous peoples and individuals.  

In 2013, we will mark 20 years of an ever increasing practical and result oriented cooperation, focusing on concrete results for the peoples and countries of the Barents region.

Our strategic goals are intended to protect the environment, maintain settlement patterns and promote business development. We need to simultaneously address the challenges of ensuring economic growth, energy security, and the sustainable use of natural resources while adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change.  No country can address these challenges alone. They have to be met in concert, through mutually beneficial cooperation in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region.

Together we must grasp this opportunity and make the most of it.

Together we can develop the Barents region in a sustainable way on the basis of knowledge.

Together we can create economic growth and prosperity while meeting the highest environmental standards, and promoting modernization and innovation. 

• See also the Council's web pages