Colleagues, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the Norwegian Government I take pleasure in welcoming all of you to this conference on new opportunities for cooperation between Norway and Poland, and by extension between Norway and the European Union.

I am extremely pleased that the conference is so well attended, by representatives of the Polish and Norwegian business and academic communities, central, regional and local authorities, as well as civil society. My only regret is that we were not able to accommodate all those interested in participating, but is certainly a good sign that there is such great interest in Norway and Poland for this cooperation.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Although views still differ as to whether Norway should eventually join the Union, there is broad consensus that, as Europeans, we, too, must take our share of the responsibility for ensuring peace, stability and prosperity on our continent.

This is also why there is broad support for the idea that we, too, must contribute to bridging social and economic gaps in the enlarged Union, which is exactly what the EEA financial mechanisms are all about.

Close and mutually beneficial ties to the European Union are a top priority in Norwegian foreign policy. And I think a good case can be made that we have become closer to the Union than perhaps any other non-member state.

The European Economic Agreement makes Norway part of the EU internal market. This is of crucial importance since more than 70 per cent of our foreign trade is with the 25 EU member states.

As a Schengen partner, Norway is associated with important aspects of EU co-operation in the field of justice and home affairs. For example, Norway and the 13 EU member states that are part of Schengen have common external borders, and Norwegian citizens can travel without passports in the Schengen area.

And we are close to the Union across a range of foreign and security policy issues. We share the basic foreign policy outlook of the EU, and we see the value of a distinct European voice in the world. With our EU partners, we share a strong commitment and an activist approach to multilateral cooperation.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Indisputably, Poland is the engine of the dynamic growth we are currently seeing in the Baltic Sea region.

There are long-standing and strong bonds between our two countries. Among the new EU member states, Poland is our most important trading partner. In NATO we work side by side to ensure the solidity of the trans-atlantic ties, and to meet new challenges to our common security. And we are close partners in the WTO and the OECD, as well as in regional organisations such as the Baltic Sea Council. In the latter we support the priorities of the Polish chairmanship.

Since 1 May, Poland has been an important player inside the EU, and we have become close partners in the enlarged EEA and the single market. There is no doubt in our minds that this will open significant new opportunities for Norwegian-Polish economic co-operation, including trade and investment.

Norway and Poland are committed to preventing new dividing lines in Europe, and to promoting democratic and economic reforms and development across the continent. We both agree that Europe does not end at the EU external border.

Hence, the EU’s Northern Dimension and its Action Plan, as well as the European Neighbourhood Policy, are important for both our countries. In co-operation with Poland and the Commission, we would like to explore whether the EEA financing mechanisms could be used to promote cross-border projects involving the EU’s so-called “new” neighbours, including countries such as Ukraine and possibly Belarus.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Over the next five years, Norway’s contribution to bridging economic and social gaps in the enlarged EU will be some 227 million Euro annually. This makes us a major contributor to these efforts. We see this as an investment in a more stable, more prosperous, and more integrated Europe.

And we see it as a contribution to the good functioning of the single market, to which we attach fundamental importance.

To ensure that the financial mechanisms are managed efficiently and responsibly, the EEA countries have developed rules and procedures and operational guidelines for the use of the funds and a Financial Mechanisms Office has been set up in Brussels for their day-to-day management.

And we are in the process of drawing up two Memoranda of Understanding with each of the recipient countries. The MoUs will specify the rights and responsibilities of the parties, and will spell out in some detail the country's priorities for the use of the funds.

As you mentioned earlier on Mr. Chairman, Poland is the first country with which we have concluded this process. I am looking forward to signing the two documents with my friend and colleague Undersecretary of state in the Ministry of Foreign Affair, Jan Truszczynski, later on today.

I want to emphasise that it is up to the beneficiary countries to set their own priorities, in dialogue with us. Similarly, the beneficiary countries themselves will propose, develop and implement the projects and programmes. But the sort of Polish-Norwegian partnerships and networking which we hope will come out of this conference could be helpful in that process.

I am confident that many high-quality projects and programmes will materialize in coming months and years.

There will be annual meetings to review the progress and performance of the implementation of the financial mechanisms. And that is a good thing. For the Norwegian Government it is essential that this substantial financial support will be producing concrete and tangible results. The Norwegian tax-payer expects nothing less.

To that end, there are some crucial concerns that must be carefully addressed:

• First, there must be transparency in the decision-making processes on both sides.
• Second, participation of regional and local authorities should be ensured.
• And third, inclusiveness and the participation of civil society are important. Hence, I am very happy to see that Poland intends to set aside funds specifically to that end.

Furthermore we must strive to ensure

• that projects and programs promote equal opportunities for men and women;
• that they promote sustainable development;
• that projects and programs are compatible with the principles and precepts on which EU-funded activities are founded;
• that activities undertaken under the financial mechanisms are subject to appropriate anti-corruption and financial control measures.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Norway is by far the largest contributor to the EEA financial mechanisms and Poland is by far the largest beneficiary. Out of the total, Poland will be entitled to about 49 per cent, approximately 112 million euros annually.

We are confident that the cooperation to be undertaken under the financial mechanisms will contribute to strengthening the bilateral ties between our two countries, and not only at the governmental level.

Hopefully, it will also facilitate contacts and pave the way for cooperation between the business communities, local and regional authorities, and civic society in the two countries. In fact, this was why we came up with the idea of holding this conference in the first place, and – I suspect – why it elicited an enthusiastic response on the Polish side.

In other words, the purpose of to day’s conference is to provide interested parties in Norway and Poland with an arena where they can come together, to learn from each other, to team up in new partnerships, and to further develop partnerships that have already been established.

We hope and trust that these contacts will produce tangible results, including concrete cooperative projects. We are gratified to note an overwhelming interest in today’s event on the Norwegian as well as the Polish side. Surely this must be seen as an expression of a shared interest in further strengthening co-operation between our two countries. For this, a solid foundation has been constructed in recent years.

At today’s conference we are focusing in particular on the environment, justice and home affairs, including Schengen; research, regional development; and the role of the social partners.

In all of these areas, I think it is fair to say, Norwegian participants have proven competence and expertise. We believe that close interaction and co-operation between the private and the public sector is the best approach for achieving social and economic development. This is well reflected in the broad range of Norwegian participants, and in the themes that will be discussed later.

The environment is a top priority in the MoUs. Norway has long experience in implementing EU directives in this field, such as those on water and waste management. As a major energy producer and exporter, Norway has gained extensive experience in energy-related issues, including energy efficiency at all levels.

Environmental management, including information, and clean production and environmentally friendly technologies are issues where the interplay between public and private actors is particularly relevant. Given Poland's extensive, unique biodiversity resources, we are pleased to share with you some of our knowledge and experience of how to map and protect areas through consultative and participatory processes.

Norway and Poland already enjoy well-functioning scientific co-operation under the EU research programmes. The aim is to build on this basis, expand it and link it to priority areas under the financial mechanisms.

On the basis of our Schengen Agreement, Norway recently developed and implemented a National Schengen Implementation Plan that involves all stakeholders. In a few years Poland will take part in the operational Schengen co-operation and be responsible for administering part of the new Schengen external borders.

The increased mobility of persons, goods, capital and services leads to new challenges, such as growing organised and transborder crime. In Norway, there is growing concern about trafficking in human beings within Europe. Drugs trafficking continue to have a debilitating a frequently deadly effect on young people in our countries. These challenges can only be met by increased co-operation. The same is true when it comes to the fight against international terrorism.

Norway is an active partner in the EU Interreg programmes. Our regional and local authorities participate in a large number of co-operation projects in and outside Norway. Strong public/private partnerships at the regional and local level are needed to achieve the objective of sustainable development.

We are looking forward to strengthening Polish-Norwegian co-operation in this field. Norway also has a great deal as regards local governance. Strengthened regional and local administrative capacities are a prerequisite for implementation of many of the EU directives

The social dialogue that takes place in the tripartite co-operation between governments, employers’ organisations and trade unions is important both for reducing welfare gaps in the EEA and for implementing relevant EU directives. A strong dialogue at the national, sectorial and company levels needs to be developed. We therefore hope to see co-operation projects between the social partners in our two countries under these mechanisms.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In conclusion, let me thank all those who have contributed to making this conference possible. It has been a truly interactive and cooperative process. Hence, I hope and trust that today’s programme will prove valuable and relevant from the point of view of all concerned. I am confident that this conference will provide a good setting for launching the EEA financial mechanisms in Poland, and I am even more confident that the mechanisms will prove to be a valuable investment in our common future.

Thank you.