Foreign Minister Knut Vollebæk:

Statement to Ministerial Conference on the Northern Dimension.

Helsinki 12 November 1999.

Ten years ago the Norwegian – Russian border was practically sealed. This year approximately 130 000 people will be crossing it.

The extraordinary developments of the last decade have presented us with new opportunities for reshaping cooperation in Northern Europe.

The developments in the North are part of a larger process of European integration. The challenges facing us are to create stable democracies, to develop liberal markets and to solve major problems for Europe as a whole, like threats to the environment and inadequate nuclear safety.

The vision that brought about the Council of the Baltic Sea States, the Barents Euro-Arctic Council and the Arctic Council was stability and prosperity for all peoples in the region. Our aim was and still is to close the welfare gap, to remove nuclear and environmental threats and to develop close political and practical co-operation between individuals and local authorities across the former divides.

Our vision at the outset of this decade was realistic. It remains our guiding principle. However, we must acknowledge the fact that it will take more resources to realise this vision. We are here today to discuss how to reach these goals.

We have come a long way. Large resources have been spent on improving safety at nuclear installations in northwestern Russia and the Baltic Sea region. We are carrying out important projects for safe and secure management of radioactive waste. Close cooperation has been established in the health sector, in the cultural field, in education and youth exchange programmes. We have managed to increase trade in the region by several hundred per cent.

Most importantly, we have developed confidence and mutual trust.

At the same time, we should acknowledge that in some areas things are moving painfully slowly. Investment in northwestern Russia, for instance, is being hampered by the unpredictable conditions and barriers of various kinds are discouraging. Trade between northwestern Russia and the northern regions of Norway, Finland and Sweden is not flourishing as it could be.

The health situation in areas of northwestern Russia is deteriorating. Unemployment is high and people are leaving the region for a better future elsewhere in Russia. Whole communities, such as Nikel and Pechenga, are facing an uncertain future.

Meeting the challenges of the North is as much of a European responsibility as is meeting the challenges of the South. This is what the Northern Dimension is all about.

Active involvement at government, county and municipal level is important. We must not underestimate the contribution being made at local level towards our common goal for the Barents and Baltic Sea regions.

At the same time, many of the challenges are of such a nature that broad international cooperation is the only answer. I will briefly describe two of these challenges.

Under the umbrella of the Northern Dimension there is a need for intensified regional cooperation to protect the northern environment. One of the greatest challenges in this respect is to integrate Russia as an equal and active partner in our efforts to promote sustainable development.

Important objectives for a strengthened cooperation on the environment in the North would be:

i) to keep the Arctic oceans clean and reduce releases of pollutants to marine and fresh waters ii) to reduce all kinds of nuclear threat iii)to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases iv) to protect biological diversity and ensure sustainable use of natural resources.

Maintaining and developing viable societies in the North is a primary goal. In pursuing this goal, we must ensure that sustainable use of the natural resources is a guiding principle. Due regard must be given to the situation of the indigenous peoples.

The second main challenge is the nuclear threat. Northwestern Russia has the largest concentration of nuclear installations in the world. These installations and their by-products, radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, present a serious problem for the environment in the region.

In the last few years Norway has developed a comprehensive programme for nuclear cooperation with Russia. Others have done the same.

The nuclear challenges in northwestern Russia are of such a magnitude that a concerted international action is necessary. This is why in Bodø last March the Barents Euro-Arctic Council recommended interested nations and the European Commission to negotiate with Russia a Multilateral Nuclear Environmental Programme in the Russian Federation.

Such a programme would greatly facilitate planning and implementation of nuclear projects in northwestern Russia.

Negotiations are in the final stage. The questions still outstanding are relating to tax and customs exemption, including liability, access and auditing. It is urgent that we now make an extra effort to reach agreement on these matters, so that we can get on with the practical work.

The Northern Dimension offers a fresh opportunity to deal with our common problems. We can do this by improving coordination between the various programmes already in place and drawing on the available instruments and established regional structures.

An action plan producing tangible results would serve as a common platform that would bring together the EU and the partner countries in a coordinated effort. This would be a tool for turning political will into action. The challenges of the North point the way ahead. We are prepared to participate.

This page was last updated November 15, 1999 by the editors