The Northern Dimension. Opening statement

Dear colleagues and partners, 

In St. Petersburg two years ago, we concluded that the Northern Dimension had got off to a good start. Today, we can proudly affirm that the Northern Dimension has become a forceful organisation for cooperation in Northern Europe, with a broad and forward-looking agenda. We all share the vision of a stable, united and prosperous Europe. Regional and cross-border cooperation is an indispensable contribution to this end.  

The main attractions of the Norther Dimension is its flexibility and the arena it provides for the EU, its Member States and Russia, together with their northern partners Norway and Iceland, for generating cooperative projects of great importance to the people living in the northern areas. These projects also help to integrate different countries in a common space. And that is exactly what is so important about our work – we touch the lives of individuals and fulfil broader ambitions for our countries. We contribute to the four common spaces between the EU and Russia. 

It is therefore my pleasure and honour to welcome you all to the 2nd Ministerial Meeting of the Northern Dimension in Oslo today.

The High North and the wider Arctic region remain at the top of my Government’s agenda. We register increasing international interest in developments in this region, ranging from issues related to climate change and environmental challenges to the region’s rich resources. 

One of this region’s most defining characteristics is the extensive cooperation, between states and not least from people to people. Cooperation, not conflict. When describing our region, one of my key messages is “High North – Low Tension” – and this is also reflected in the fact that we are gathered here with our neighbours and partners in the framework of the Northern Dimension, providing enhanced and practical cooperation. 

Our partnerships are producing tangible results. 

The Partnership on Public Health and Social Well-being is doing impressive work – relevant to the peoples of the north - on contagious diseases and on lifestyle related health problems. Norway has recently allocated NOK 9 million to the Partnership’s project pipeline. We will take active part in the expert groups, with particular focus on alcohol-related health problems, prison health and contagious diseases. 

The Environmental Partnership is our flagship. Co-financing coupled with loans and contributions from the international financial institutions has proved to be an excellent means of generating large sums of money for major projects, such as the improvement of waste water facilities in St. Petersburg. The extension of the partnership’s mandate to 2017 is important, and it is crucial to secure replenishment of both windows. 

We share the concern about the pollution load in the Baltic Sea area and support the high priority given to projects in this field. However, there are environmental problems in the Barents region that also require urgent joint action. A major water and waste water infrastructure rehabilitation project in Murmansk is now awaiting approval. This project represents a major step forward in solving a serious environmental problem that affects both the Murmansk area and the adjacent part of the Barents Sea. Norway supports this project fully. We will pledge another NOK 5 million for the non-nuclear window for 2011, with special emphasis on the Barents region. 

We also support the increased focus on energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources. 

Norway has a longstanding cooperation with Russia on nuclear safety. Many more countries take part - NDEP and the G8 Global Partnership among them. I would like to highlight one particular project that has been extended from one part of the ND area to another ­ from the Barents Sea to the Baltic Sea. Since 1997, Norway and Russia have removed 180 RTGs (radioactive lighthouses) from the Barents Sea area, and replaced them with solar panels. Having completed this successfully, we will now continue in the Baltic Sea area, where we plan to remove 71 RTGs in cooperation with Sweden and Finland in addition to Russia. 

The Baltic Sea area is central to the Northern Dimension. We currently chair the Council of the Baltic Sea States. One of our main priorities is maritime policy. Our aim is to ensure the sustainable development of resources ­ offshore petroleum deposits and living marine resources ­ and to develop onshore activities and related infrastructure in the north. 

This is in line with the general priorities of the Northern Dimension. We have a key tool in the Partnership on Transport and Logistics. The maritime aspect of the partnership should be given due attention. There are many bottlenecks that we need to address, important for the everyday lives of people and businesses. But if we want to be truly transformative, we need to work on larger flagship projects as well - like the Northern Sea Route, which is already advancing, and the Narvik corridor. 

The Arctic window opens up to the sea. From the Arctic perspective, the main transport issues are maritime ­ the utilisation of new lanes of communication such as the Northern Sea Route, safety of navigation, search and rescue, and logistics. The north represents important opportunities for value creation both offshore and onshore. 

The Centre for High North Logistics is a good example of cooperation between the private and public sector. This centre of expertise on the development of future solutions for maritime transport and logistics was established in 2008 by the shipping industry, academic institutions and my Ministry. Representatives of the centre are present here today. We envisage that it will give a substantial contribution to our work on transport and logistics in the form of expertise and knowledge. 

We are excited about the possibilities within this partnership. We aim at establishing an adequate east-west transport infrastructure between Norway and neighbouring countries, linking the Barents region more closely together, and facilitating trade and cooperation. In parallel, the Barents Euro-Arctic Transport Area should be developed further. Existing cooperation structures should be linked to the Northern Dimension and granted the Northern Dimension quality label. 

We should not forget that the Northern Dimension area is the most densely populated area in the north and home to several indigenous peoples. It is important to facilitate the participation of indigenous peoples in the various processes in a proactive manner and in line with their own priorities. We encourage indigenous peoples to make full use of the opportunities open to them. Key areas are adaptation to climate change and the use of traditional knowledge. 

We already have an active cultural cooperation in the Northern Dimension area. This will be strengthened further by the new Partnership on Culture. Cultural tourism could be developed within this partnership. 

It is important that secretariats for the various partnerships are established in order to speed up work. I understand that there is good progress on several fronts, and we will hear more about this from the partnerships themselves.

And now to the new bodies – the Business Council and the Institute. 

We are impressed by the Business Council’s work. The nine working groups cover the most important aspects of economic cooperation. I am pleased to see that two major Norwegian companies are taking part, and I believe the fact that Statoil is chairing the energy group reflects the interest the business sector has in this cooperation framework. I hope to see more companies join, especially small and medium sized enterprises. We need the voice and advice of the business community, not least on how to eliminate bottlenecks and hurdles and facilitate the flow of people and goods in the Northern Dimension area. 

The Northern Dimension Institute is a valuable new arrangement. Knowledge is the basis of our work, and we need a strong focus on research and education. Norway has increased funds available for research related to the High North. And together with Finland, we will fund a research project by the Institute and the Barents Institute in Kirkenes that will look at how to achieve a holistic approach to the challenges in our region. Their report will be submitted by the end of August 2011. 

Norway is in favour of admitting new countries to the Northern Dimension. Today we have two observers. We hope that the question of observer status for Belarus will be settled in the near future. 

Cross border cooperation is the essence of our efforts. Programmes like the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument ­ Cross-border Cooperation will substantially boost cooperation across borders in the region. 

On 15 September I, together with my good friend Sergei had the honour to sign the bilateral agreement on maritime delimitation and cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean. On land, we have had a border agreement with Russia since 1826. We have seen a tremendous development across this border in recent years, with more than 100 000 border crossings last year. In order to facilitate cross-border cooperation even further, Norway and Russia will sign an agreement on local border traffic today. This will ensure visa-free travel for the citizens in the border region and entail huge benefits for the citizens of Sør-Varanger in Norway and Pechenga in Russia.

This is an excellent example of cross-border cooperation - and of the fundamental changes that have been taking place in this region over the past twenty years. Here we observe a positive spiral, with regional cooperation facilitating bilateral agreements and vice versa. 

Integration, transparent borders, free trade, social and economic development, cultural exchanges, knowledge and education; this is what we are trying to achieve. We have every reason to be confident that our partnerships ­ both the established ones and the emerging ones ­ will be effective tools for the creation of the Northern Europe of the future. 

Thank you.