Opening address by Mr. Bjørn Tore Godal, Norwegian Minist

Opening address by Mr. Bjørn Tore Godal, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs

International Seminar on Regional Cooperationin the Barents, Baltic Sea and Black Sea Regions.

Oslo, 13 March 1997.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is received wisdom that states are too small in some respects and too large in others. In modern politics, the domestic and the international are inescapably linked. Given the new challenges facing Europe, we need a regional approach that can combine foreign policy and domestic perspectives. Regional cooperation arrangements bring together politicians and decision-makers at the national, regional and local levels, and - most importantly - involve the population in decision-making processes.

In practice, regional cooperation is not a modern invention. Although they were not formally recognized as regional entities until recently, cooperation within the Barents, Baltic Sea and Black Sea areas has a long historical tradition. Our ancestors in what is now called the Barents Region traded with their neighbors without regard for borders until early in the present century when contacts were broken. Trade flourished between Russians and Norwegians along the coast of the Kola peninsula in the 18th and 19th centuries, to such an extent that a new lingua franca emerged - a mixture of Norwegian and Russian. Some four hundred years previously, the Hanseatic trade based in the Baltic had connected such distant towns as Novgorod to the east and Bergen to the west. The Black Sea had become an integrated trade area before the Christian era, connecting east with west as well as north with south. The history of these three regions illustrates that the sea brings people together, rather than separating them. It provides opportunities for cultural and commercial exchange as well as valuable resources.

One of the lessons we can learn from the history of our regions is that openness and cooperation contribute to stability and growth. And nowhere is this more valid than in the current political situation in Europe. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, Europe has undergone profound changes. The pattern of confrontation is currently being replaced by new forms of cooperation encompassing all European countries.

Since the end of the Cold War, we find ourselves having to deal with a new set of challenges. A new understanding is emerging that democracy, welfare and environmental protection are essential to global security. In line with the expanded security concept, the multitude of European organizations and institutions all have important parts to play in the development of a new European security architecture. And cooperation is an essential element in this new architecture - cooperation in the economic, military, cultural, environmental and many other fields.

Most importantly, we are all responsible for avoiding the creation of new dividing lines in Europe. New forms of interaction and a broad range of cooperation structures are helping to bridge the old East-West divide by building confidence and interdependence.

Regional arrangements are important building blocks in the new European security architecture. The cooperation structures in the Barents, Baltic Sea and Black Sea Regions are the most prominent examples of the merits of regional cooperation across the old divide in Europe. On the one hand, such cooperation is a mechanism for resolving local problems relating to more than one state, such as trans-boundary environmental problems. On the other hand, the limited number of participants makes it easier to act together, something which is usually more difficult for larger organizations. Trans-border regional structures are also a way of overcoming the differences in political orientation and economic affiliation of the participant states.

The role of the regional arrangements in the process of European integration is clear from their agenda. Interestingly enough, the Barents, the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea Regions all have a number of items in common on their agendas. In all three regions economic cooperation is a priority area, and a common objective is the improvement of conditions for cross-border economic activity. In addition to the issues of taxation and customs and the problems related to legal systems, the battle against organized crime has become a major priority.

Organized crime is a problem for the authorities and the business community alike, and deserves serious attention. The establishment of a high level task force to combat organized crime in the Baltic Sea Region has successfully contributed to improving cooperation between the police forces of the region, and at the same time resulted in a positive spillover effect in the Barents Region. This shows how cooperation in different frameworks can be complementary and mutually reinforcing.

In the fields of infrastructure and energy, which are priority areas in all the regions, increased inter-regional interaction should be considered. Similarly, questions of environmental protection and nuclear safety pose major challenges which can only be addressed by joint action. Solving the environmental problems resulting from the Cold War and promoting long-term environmental stability in Europe are international tasks. However, a regional framework can contribute to identifying the problems, listing the priorities and drawing up an agenda for action.

At the heart of regional cooperation is the building of networks, development of confidence and promotion of mutual respect and understanding. Confidence comes with the establishment of personal ties and the identification of common interests and problems. The development of mutual understanding can be encouraged by smoothing out differences in welfare and standards of living.

Basically, the principal merit of regional cooperation is its ability to address practical problems and relate to peoples' lives. Regional arrangements are important frameworks for involving the local population in the process of integration, which is why people-to-people cooperation deserves special attention.

Educational cooperation is a case in point. Resources spent on education are a long-term investment in future cooperation. A number of regional initiatives have been taken in the field of educational cooperation showing that there is a genuine need for action in this field. National governments could show their support for the regional initiatives by establishing an international educational foundation, which could coordinate initiatives and thus maximize the impact of joint efforts. I believe that this would contribute substantially to mutual understanding and the transfer of knowledge across the former East-West divide.

For the implementation of people-to-people cooperation, a solid local foundation is needed. In most countries local government authorities have autonomous responsibility in a number of fields, such as health and social issues, transport, culture and education. In connection with the process of reform the regional entities of the Eastern European countries and Russia have also taken on greater responsibilities in other areas, such as external economic relations. Thus, it is important to ensure that the position of the local authorities within the broader regional framework is institutionalized.

The political concept of "regionalism" in Europe dates back to the 1960s. When my predecessor, Thorvald Stoltenberg, launched his regional "Barents initiative" in 1992, he was inspired by the idea of strengthening the role of the regions. It is no coincidence that the Regional Council was given an instrumental role when the Barents Euro-Arctic Region came into being in January 1993. The founding countries' objective was twofold: First, we wanted to institutionalize regular contacts between local and sub-regional politicians and decision-makers in the member countries. Secondly, we wanted to establish a mechanism which could ensure that the views and experience of the people carrying out the practical cooperation were fed into the regional decision-making process. We wanted the field-workers of regional cooperation to set the agenda.

The Regional Council is an important forum for generating ideas, building networks of regional politicians and decision-makers and setting regional priorities. It is also the principal forum for cooperation when it comes to implementing joint projects. Accordingly, the role of the Foreign Ministers in the Barents Council is to ensure political coordination at the national level and to offer general guidance and support to those involved in the practical work in the region. The division of labor guarantees that the participants at the local and sub-regional levels have a clearly defined role in the regional structure. This is what we think of as the "bottom-up" principle of regional cooperation.

Cooperation between the various sub-regions in the Baltic Sea area has been an important objective for the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS) from the outset, and strengthening this aspect has been one of our main concerns. The establishment of the Sub-regional Conference (BSSSC) in 1993 was a step in the right direction, and I think we should consider how the sub-regional dimension of the Baltic Sea Cooperation could be developed further.

In many ways, we are experiencing the same kind of problems and challenges in the Baltic Sea Region as those encountered in the Barents Region. In both regions there is a need to involve the local and sub-regional authorities in the day-to-day regional cooperation. This is also an important means of ensuring the involvement of the peoples of the region. It seems to me that strengthening the regional dimension would thus enhance the position of the Baltic Sea Region as an important vehicle of European integration. One way of doing this would be to draw on the experience of the Barents Cooperation, for example, by exploring the possibility of adapting the model of the Regional Council.

In addition to providing a local basis for cooperation, the establishment of the Regional Council in the Barents Region was an answer to one of the central questions of regional cooperation: What kinds of structures are available for the implementation of joint projects and action? In the Council of Baltic Sea States we are currently searching for answers to this question, which became urgent when three Action Programs were adopted at the ministerial meeting in Kalmar last July. The adoption of these action programs was prompted by the Visby summit in May, and they represent a new departure for the Baltic Sea Cooperation. They are of major importance politically, and one of the main tasks of the Council of Baltic Sea States at present is to ensure their implementation.

There are a number of questions that apply to all regional arrangements and that essentially touch on the role and competence of regional structures as such. These questions deserve attention, and I am confident that this seminar will contribute to a better understanding of their nature. We can benefit from each others' experiences, such as the establishment of a permanent secretariat in the Black Sea Region and the different stands of the three regional arrangements on the status of observers. Would a specific regional institution along the lines of the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank be a good model for the Barents and Baltic Sea regions? In any case, financial instruments are essential for any regional activity, and the question of European and international funds is of common concern to all the regional structures. Finally, the value of coordinating regional efforts with those of broader European and transatlantic structures deserves due consideration if we are to reap the maximum benefit.

I am confident that your exchanges during this seminar will shed light on these important aspects of regional cooperation. I hope that we all in turn will gain inspiration and new ideas from your endeavors, and I wish you a successful seminar.