The Northern Dimension

in the external and cross-border policies of the European Union reflects the EU's relations with Russia (and particularly North-west Russia) in the Baltic Sea region and Arctic Sea region. The Northern Dimension addresses the specific challenges and opportunities arising in those regions and aims to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between the EU and its member states, the northern countries associated with the EU under the EEA (Norway and Iceland) and the Russian Federation. The Northern Dimension is implemented within the framework of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Russia. A particular emphasis is placed on subsidiarity, and on ensuring the active participation of all stakeholders in the North, including regional organizations, local and regional authorities, the academic and business communities, and civil society.

Several key priority themes for dialogue and cooperation under the Northern Dimension have been identified, including

- economy, business and infrastructure

- human resources, education, culture, scientific research and health

- the environment, nuclear safety, and natural resources

- cross-border cooperation and regional development

- justice and home affairs

The Northern Dimension operates through the efforts of all stakeholders. Where financial support at the EU level is required, the Northern Dimension draws on existing EU financial instruments, notably Tacis and Interreg, aiming to use these instruments for projects which provide significant added value.

Objectives

The Northern Dimension aims at addressing the special regional development challenges of northern Europe. These include cold climatic conditions, long distances, wide disparities in standards-of-living, environmental challenges including problems with nuclear waste and waste water management, and insufficient transport and border crossing facilities. The Northern Dimension is also intended to take advantage of the rich potential of the region, for example in terms of natural resources, economic dynamism, and a rich cultural heritage.

The Northern Dimension is intended to promote security and stability in the region, as well as helping build a safe, clean and accessible environment for all people in the north. The Northern Dimension also has the objectives of addressing the challenges arising from uneven regional development, and helping avoid the emergence of new dividing lines in Europe following EU enlargement.

With the enlargement of the Union on 1 May 2004 to include Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, the importance of the Northern Dimension has increased considerably: eight EU Member States (Denmark, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Sweden) surround the Baltic Sea, and the EU's shared border with Russia has lengthened significantly.

History

Recent years have seen far-reaching changes in the geopolitical map of northern Europe. The Baltic States regained their independence in 1991. Finland and Sweden joined the EU in 1995, and Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in 2004. These events greatly increased the Northern and Baltic “presence” of the EU, and substantially lengthened the common border shared by the EU and the Russian Federation. It was imperative to address constructively the new challenges and opportunities which these changes have created.

The Northern Dimension as an important topic for EU policy was first recognised at the Luxembourg European Council in December 1997. In the years which followed, the concept became more concrete. The Vienna European Council in December 1998 adopted a Commission Communication on a `Northern Dimension for the policies of the Union'. Six months later, in Cologne, the European Council adopted Guidelines for the implementation of the Northern Dimension. In November 1999, the Finnish EU Presidency held a Ministerial Conference on the Northern Dimension, where an Inventory of current activities under the Northern Dimension was adopted. The Helsinki European Council in December 1999 invited the Commission to prepare a Northern Dimension Action Plan, and the Feira European Council in June 2000 subsequently adopted this first `Action Plan for the Northern Dimension in the external and cross-border policies of the European Union, 2001-2003'. All these documents, and other key documents adopted subsequently) are available under : Documents.

In April 2001 the Swedish EU Presidency and the European Commission organised the 2nd Ministerial Conference on the Northern Dimension in Luxembourg. In June 2001, the Gothenburg European Council endorsed a Full Report on Northern Dimension Policies that, while taking stock of the activities undertaken to implement the Feira Action Plan, also outlined ideas and proposals for the continuation of the Northern Dimension initiative.

A ministerial meeting in Illulisaat, Greenland in August 2002 discussed possible guidelines for a Second Northern Dimension Action Plan, which were adopted at a ministerial meeting in Luxembourg in October 2002. Following this, the Commission proposed the 2nd NDAP in June of 2003, and this was adopted at the European Council in Brussels in October 2003. This 2nd NDAP covers the period 2004-2006.

As foreseen under the 2nd NDAP, progress in implementing the Action Plan will be reviewed by meetings of Senior Officials and of Ministers held in alternate years. The first such Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) was held in Brussels in October 2004, and the Ministerial Meeting will be held in the autumn of 2005.

Annual reports on NDAP implementation are produced by the European Commission (the most recent covering 2004 ; the next will be produced in spring 2005. In addition, the Commission has since summer of 2004 hosted on its website a comprehensive Northern Dimension Information System , presenting in an easily accessible format information on a wide range of Northern Dimension activities being carried forward by all Northern Dimension partners.

On 21 November 2005, the Northern Dimension ministerial meeting held in Brussels approved by unanimity “the Guidelines for the development of a political declaration and policy framework document for Northern Dimension policy from 2007”. These Guidelines are the agreed basis to draft in 2006 new basic Northern Dimension documents that will open a new phase of this policy. For example, the parties agreed that the Northern Dimension is a shared policy and that it will be the regional expression in the North of Europe of the EU / Russia Common Spaces although keeping its own specificities, i.e. full membership of Norway and Iceland, special concern about environment and health issues, protection of indigenous peoples, etc. Joint Press Release on the IV Northern Dimension Ministerial Meeting. The political declaration and the policy framework document will become a stable basis for the Northern Dimension as from 2007.

Administrative framework and financing instruments

The Northern Dimension is a common undertaking of all its parties: the European Union Member States, Iceland, Norway, Russia and the European Commission. Its success depends on the active participation of all actors involved, whether at the national, regional or local level, among the business community, or among civil society generally. The NDAP provides a framework for all stakeholders, setting out strategic objectives, priorities and concrete activities. These activities shall be carried forward in a cooperative spirit based on inclusive participation, subsidiarity and complementarity, with an effective division of labour and overall coordination and monitoring.

The Northern Dimension provides a common framework for the promotion of policy dialogue and concrete cooperation. Its added value lies in the synergy and coherence that it creates across the activities implemented by all partners.

Each partner, each stakeholder, operates through its own procedures, and finances its own activities according to its own procedures. In the case of the EU, projects relating to the Northern Dimension are funded through existing financing instruments relevant to the region, including notably the Tacis and Interreg programmes.

The regional organisations in the north have a particularly important role to play, which has been explicitly recognised in the 2nd NDAP. The main regional organisations active in the Northern Dimension are:

the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS)

the Barents Euro Arctic Council (BEAC)

the Arctic Council (AC)

the Nordic Council of Ministers

The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS)

is an overall political forum for regional intergovernmental cooperation. The members of the Council are the 11 states of the Baltic Sea region as well as the European Commission.

The CBSS was established by the region's Foreign Ministers in Copenhagen in 1992 as a response to the geopolitical changes that took place in the Baltic Sea region with the end of the Cold War. Since its founding, the CBSS has contributed to ensuring positive developments within the Baltic Sea region and has served as a driving force for multi-lateral co-operation.

The CBSS is a flexible, demand-driven and result-oriented forum for regional cooperation. As Mr. Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations has remarked, “the CBSS plays a key role in helping to underpin a stable, democratic, prosperous and undivided Europe.” To this end, the CBSS identifies political goals, creates action-plans, initiates projects and serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas concerning regional issues of common interest. The CBSS is responsible for overall co-ordination of intergovernmental cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region in accordance with the organisation's Terms of Reference.

The Council of the Baltic Sea States continues to demonstrate success in a number of fields such as, i.a.: removing regional economic barriers to trade and investment; improving nuclear and radiation safety; confidence building through the promotion of democracy and human rights; faciliting crossborder cooperation (e.g. as project partner of the INTERREG III B-Project Baltic Euroregional Network, a joint endeavour of the CBSS, Nordic Council of Ministers and other partners); transforming curricula and teaching methods at the three main universities in the Baltic States and at Kaliningrad State University by way of the EuroFaculty Programme; and finally, contributing input to the EU's policy frameworks for Northern Europe such as the Northern Dimension.

Since 1998 the CBSS has been serviced by a permanent international Secretariat that is located in Stockholm, Sweden and funded by the Member States.

Terms of Reference of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (revised 2005)

Terms of Reference of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (1992)

1992 CBSS 1st Ministerial Session - Copenhagen Declaration

Facts about the CBSS

12 Members

• Denmark

• Estonia

• Finland

• Germany

• Iceland

• Latvia

• Lithuania

• Norway

• Poland

• Russia

• Sweden

• European Commission

Missions Accomplished

Over the course of time the CBSS has successfully adapted itself to the changing needs of the Baltic Sea region. The CBSS continues to develop new tools according to particular interests of the Baltic Sea states, while also ensuring that outdated structures and working bodies are appropriately dissolved. Past initiatives provide a useful reference in terms of the history of the organisation's work.

EuroFaculty in the Baltic States (1993-2005)

CBSS Commissioner on Democratic Development (1994-2003)

Baltic Sea Customs Co-operation (1995-2003)

Task Force on Communicable Disease Control (2000-2004)

Ad-hoc Working Group on Transport (2001-2006)

EuroFaculty in the Baltic States (1993-2005)

The aim of the EuroFaculty programme established in 1993 was to assist in transforming curricula and the training of local academic staff in the subjects of Economics, Public Administration/Political Science and Law in the main universities of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

EuroFaculty offered lectures by visiting professors from donor countries, which facilitated the re-training of local academic personnel.

After a successful 12 year period of operation, the EuroFaculty in the Baltic States was terminated in July 2005.

The Lead Country Function for EuroFaculty Kaliningrad (LC/EF-K) was established in connection with the launching of the EuroFaculty-Kaliningrad (EF-K) project in line with a decision taken by the Council in 2000. The project aims to support the faculties of Economics and Law of the Kaliningrad State University (renamed Immanuel Kant State University of Russia in Kaliningrad in 2005) in the field of curricula development and new teaching methods. Denmark is presently the lead country with a representative from its Ministry of Education heading the International Expert Group on EuroFaculty Kaliningrad.

The LC/EF-K coordinates the EuroFaculty project and together with the Expert Group ensures that the project is properly implemented. The EF-K project has been financed to date by voluntary contributions from Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the UK.

CBSS Commissioner on Democratic Development (1994-2003)

In 1994 the CBSS created the position of a Commissioner on Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. The Commissioner supported the functioning and development of democratic institutions in the Member States, concentrating on issues such as democracy, good governance and law-making, the strengthening of civil society and promotion of human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities.

The Commissioners could issue recommendations to the Member States concerning the topics outlined above. A unique feature of the Commissioner's mandate was to serve as a regional Ombudsman function. In this capacity, the citizens of the Baltic Sea region could turn to the Commissioner with their requests for assistance to remedy their situation. In 2000, the CBSS decided to rename the institution to the more political and not least more ideomatic "Commissioner on Democratic Development", compared to the former more judicual title "Commissioner on democratic institutions and human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities".

In light of the region's progress in the field of democratic development, the Commissioner's mandate was deemed fulfilled, and the position subsequently terminated at the end of 2003.

The Commissioner´s were:

1994-2000: Mr Ole Espersen, Professor, former Minister. MP

2000-2003: Ms Helle Degn, Former Minister, MP

Baltic Sea Customs Co-operation (1995-2003)

The Baltic Sea customs cooperation was initiated at a meeting in Bornholm, Denmark, in 1995. This was motivated by the conviction that modern, reliable and honest customs administrations are as needed for promoting trade and economic growth in the Baltic Sea States as they are for collecting duties, tackling fraud and protecting the general public.

The 3rd Baltic Sea Customs Conference in Gdansk, Poland, in 1999 decided to further improve the performance of customs administrations in the Baltic Sea States. To achieve this objective, experts agreed on the following goals: to speed up and simplify cross-border trade so that goods crossing the Member States' borders would take a maximum of two hours to clear all formalities; to provide traders with up-to-date information on customs rules and contact points; to make life easier for legitimate traders by focusing frontier and inland customs controls on irregular and illegal movements of goods; to enhance the confidence in the work of customs officials by measures aimed at improving integrity.

Following a decision of the 5th Baltic Sea Customs Conference in Riga, Latvia (24 October 2003), the work within this forum has come to an end. Fruitful cooperation for mutual development between the Customs administrations of the Baltic sea area will continue and the member states of the Baltic Sea Region are now looking forward to continue their collaboration within the CBSS framework.

1st Baltic Sea Customs Conference (Bornholm, Denmark 10-11 May 1995)

2nd Baltic Sea Customs Conference (Tallinn, Estonia 5-6 June 1997)

3rd Baltic Sea Customs Conference (Gdansk, Poland 9-10 September 1999)

4th Baltic Sea Customs Conference (Vilnius, Lithuania 21-22 June 2001)

5th Baltic Sea Customs Conference (Riga, Latvia 24 October 2003)

Task Force on Communicable Disease Control (2000-2004)

The Task Force on Communicable Disease Control in the Baltic Sea Region, (TF-CDC) was established in line with a decision taken by the 3rd Baltic Sea States Summit in Kolding, Denmark, in April 2000 (2-year mandate extended once to the end of 2004).

The purpose of the TF-CDC consisting of personal representatives of the Heads of Government of the CBSS Member States was to intensify regional cooperation to counteract the threat to public health caused by the sharp increase in communicable diseases, and to elaborate a joint plan to enhance disease control throughout the region. The TF-CDC coordinated its work with international experts from the World Health Organisation, UNAIDS and the European Union. The TF-CDC reported directly to the Heads of Government and regularly informed the CBSS via the Committee of Senior Officials.

At the 5th BSS Summit in June 2004 in Laulasmaa, Estonia, the Heads of Government took note of the Final Report of the Task Force. The networks and projects developed within the framework of the Task Force may be maintained, as appropriate, within the Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-Being (NDPHS), established in September 2003.

Ad-hoc Working Group on Transport (2001-2006)

The Ad-Hoc Working Group on Transport (WGT) was established by a decision of the 4th CBSS Ministers of Transport conference, in 2001 in Gdansk, Poland and was mandated to oversee implementation of the Gdansk Declaration.

The composition of the Group included representatives from ministries of transport of the CBSS Member States and the European Commission. According to the Gdansk Declaration, the following fields of co-operation in transport were deemed important: implementation of sustainable development of transport in the Baltic Sea region; extension and upgrading of transport corridors situated in the Baltic Sea region and linking the Region with the rest of Europe; evaluation of other initiatives to update the Pan-European corridors; development of shipping and, in particular, short-sea shipping; development and implementation of new technologies; development of inter-modal transport in the region.

During its meeting in Warsaw in April 2006, the activities of the Ad-Hoc Working Group were suspended.

Structures & Working Bodies

The Council consists of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs from each Member State and a member of the European Commission. Chairmanship of the Council rotates among the Member States on an annual basis. The role of the Council is to serve as a forum for guidance and overall coordination among the participating states. The foreign minister of the presiding country is responsible for coordinating the Council's activities and is assisted in this work by a Committee of Senior Officials (CSO).

The Council does not have a general budget or project fund. Members are responsible for funding common activities and/or for seeking and coordinating financing from other sources. Since 1998, the CBSS Member States have financed jointly the Permanent International Secretariat of the CBSS.

Baltic 21 Network

Inspired by the outcome of the 1992 Rio Summit, the heads of government of the Baltic Sea States decided at their meeting in 1996, in the presence of the President of the European Council and the European Commission, that an Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea region should be developed.

The Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea region (Baltic 21) was subsequently adopted at the 9th Ministerial Session of the CBSS in 1998.

The overriding objective of Baltic 21 is to achieve sustainable development in the Baltic Sea region in a 30-year perspective. Baltic 21:

Addresses the three dimensions of sustainable development - the environmental, the social and the economic aspects

Focuses on eight sectors of crucial importance to this region (i.e. Agriculture, Energy, Fisheries, Forests, Industry, Tourism, Transport and Education) and Spatial Planning

Has established goals for sustainable development - the Baltic Sea region is the first region in the world that has adopted such common goals

Has an action program featuring 30 concrete ambitious yet feasible actions - both sector and spatial planning actions as well as cross-sectoral joint actions

Uses indicators to monitor progress towards the Baltic 21 goals.

Baltic 21 is steered, coordinated and monitored by a Senior Officials Group (SOG) that includes representatives of the CBSS Member States, the European Commission, as well as a number of intergovernmental organisations, international financial institutions and international networks of regional and local authorities, businesses and NGOs. The network is serviced by the Baltic 21 Secretariat, which since January 2001 functions as a special Baltic 21 unit of the CBSS Secretariat.

The Working Group for Cooperation on Children at Risk, (WGCC), was established after a decision taken at a high-level meeting of CBSS high officials responsible for Children's Issues on 31 October 2001 in Stockholm. The WGCC is tasked with identifying, supporting and implementing cooperation on children at risk with the states and partner organisations in the region. The WGCC has set five priorities for its work: Child sexual exploitation; Separated and trafficked children in the region; Children in institutions; Children in the street; Children that commit crimes and lead a self-destructive life. Latvia is presently chairing the WGCC.

The Child Centre serves as a web-based focal point for information and contact between professionals and officials on research, seminars and ongoing projects concerning children at risk in the Baltic Sea region. Its objectives are to increase awareness and knowledge of services and methods to prevent and protect children from violence and abuse and to increase expertise in how to rehabilitate children who have been exposed. Professionals in the region need reliable and comprehensive access to information on important publications, ongoing research and projects regarding children at risk. Child specialists in fields such as prevention and rehabilitation also have a need for consultations with colleagues in the entire region. The Child Centre offers these facilities.

The Children's Unit organises expert meetings, seminars and other activities within the prioritised areas. The Children's Unit thus promotes collaboration and contacts, enhancing the sharing of expertise between professionals working with issues related to children at risk both within the public sector and in the NGO sector. As of March 2002 the Children's Unit is an integrated part of the CBSS Secretariat.

Ars Baltica is a forum for multilateral cultural cooperation with an emphasis on common projects within the Baltic Sea region. It gives priority to art, culture and cultural history. The intention is to enhance cultural identity in the Baltic Sea region and also to realise projects of European significance. Its goal is to implement common projects, which in terms of structure and concept are more than the traditional form of bilateral cultural exchange and also to help these projects to become permanent networks of individuals and organisations. This network implies the development into a communication centre and a structured and well-organised "market-place" of new ideas.

Baltic Sea Monitoring Group on Heritage Co-operation

The mandate to create an action plan for the common heritage in the Baltic Sea States was included in the Lübeck Declaration adopted by the 3rd Conference of the CBSS Ministers of Culture (Lübeck, 22 Sept. 1997). In accordance with this decision, a working group of senior heritage experts, the Baltic Sea Monitoring Group on Heritage Cooperation, was established in April 1998.

The work is organised in four subgroups under the supervision of the Monitoring Group:

Building preservation and Maintenance in practice - Its aim is to ensure accessibility to traditional materials of the region for conservation needs. This also includes information to building sector professionals, to owners of cultural property and to the general public.

Underwater Heritage - Its aim is to study the implications and possible content of a regional agreement to protect underwater cultural heritage in the Baltic Sea. This includes the prohibition of CBSS nationals and ships flying member-state flags from interfering with historic wrecks and archaeological structures.

Coastal Culture and Maritime Heritage - The aim is to deepen the cooperation between authorities concerning the coastal culture and its development and to draw the attention to the strategies for sustainable use of coastal areas. Special attention should be given to documentation and presentation of coastal culture in terms of research and exhibitions.

Sustainable historic towns - Its aim is to coordinate networks, seminars, training and information on the subject.

Inauguration of the Kaliningrad EuroFaculty

on 20 September 2000 in Kaliningrad

Speech by Dr Hans-Jürgen Heimsoeth,

Chairman of the Committee of Senior Officials of the Council of the Baltic Sea States

Mr. Governor,

Mr. Rector,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my great pleasure to be here with you today to inaugurate the EuroFaculty in Kaliningrad.

This is an important day for the Council of the Baltic Sea States. Ever since 1992, the CBSS has been working towards the economic, political, cultural and academic integration of the region, with the political objective of creating a genuinely democratic and economically prosperous community around the Baltic Sea. Intensifying relations with the Russian Federation, which is itself one of the twelve members of the Council of the Baltic Sea States and the next chair, and cooperation with the Russian regions have from the beginning been important goals. They are also priorities for the German chairmanship.

The establishment of the Kaliningrad EuroFaculty is part of this policy, and is the result of a request from the Russian side. I am delighted that our Russian hosts have shown a complete and unreserved readiness to cooperate. This is the basic prerequisite for the success of the CBSS EuroFaculty project and its efforts to foster academic and university cooperation in the region.

The region is well placed for success. If you take the Baltic Sea area as a whole, you will find a region with almost unequalled opportunities for the emergence of a leading information and knowledge-based society. And I say this in all awareness here in Kaliningrad, where we can clearly see how big the prosperity gap in the Baltic Sea area still is. Regions with natural resources or considerable productive capital are gradually losing their top status; regions which are willing to welcome innovation and information technologies, to revitalize their further education establishments by creating new networks, to seek out international and regional cooperation and to work more closely with companies, are gaining a competitive edge and so adapting themselves for the future. The old saying "knowledge is power" has now taken on a new meaning: "knowledge is prosperity".

That is why Germany has also decided to make the "information society" and "knowledge-based society" central themes for its chairmanship of the CBSS. Ever since it was established, the Council of the Baltic Sea States has devoted time and attention to the development of and interaction between establishments of higher education. We must build on this. One of the very first initiatives of the CBSS was the creation of a "EuroFaculty" in the Baltic States. This commenced its work in 1993 at the universities of Riga, Vilnius and Tartu, and is intended to help the universities quickly attain international standards. EuroFaculty provides important assistance in modernizing curricula and teaching methods. The EuroFaculty project may also be gauged a success in terms of the career prospects of its graduates: alumni work in national authorities, international companies and in the wider EU administrative field.

The Kaliningrad EuroFaculty intends to advise Kaliningrad State University (KSU) in the fields of research and teaching. Curricula in particular are to be reformed, both as regards their contents and their methods. Subjects such as marketing, environmental law and private law will be introduced, and emphasis placed on practical skills and teamwork. The EuroFaculty should thus be a form of "help towards self-help". The reforms themselves must be initiated by the university staff, i.e. by those in the law and business faculties, and must be implemented by these same people. The EuroFaculty, which will be completely integrated in Kaliningrad State University and will not create any parallel structures, can only provide support.

The Kaliningrad EuroFaculty will not be a simple clone of the projects implemented in the Baltic States. Rather, the experience gained in Riga, Vilnius and Tartu has been used to create a solution "tailored" to Kaliningrad State University. The road we embarked upon was not entirely free of obstacles. The (in retrospect healthy) failure of the first attempt was primarily due to financial uncertainties. With the current concept it has been possible to secure funding for the Kaliningrad EuroFaculty for the entire project duration of (initially) three years. Substantial contributions have been made by the four donors Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Germany; Lithuania, Poland and Great Britain are also supporting the project (and we very much hope that Finland will soon join their ranks). Nor should we forget the logistical support and infrastructure provided by the "host" university.

The Kaliningrad EuroFaculty has two sub-projects: in business studies, Roskilde, Trondheim, Göttingen and Kaunas universities have formed a consortium to cooperate with KSU; legal studies are jointly monitored by KSU together with the universities of Göttingen, Bergen and Aalborg. I myself distinguish a third, equally crucial sub-project: foreign-language teaching. Foreign languages - together with IT links - open up the world. All options to improve the English and German skills of the staff and students must be pursued. They are a must for the success of the EuroFaculty. I am delighted to see that the current concept identifies learning foreign languages as an objective.

I earlier used the possibly somewhat visionary-sounding terms "knowledge-based society" and "information society". This does not mean that the difficulties ahead of Kaliningrad should be underestimated. On the contrary. But establishing universities and creating faculties are signs of upturn and optimism. Universities exert a force of attraction. This was true more than 450 years ago when the Albertina was founded in Königsberg and became a magnet for academics and students from the entire region, and can be true again today. The EuroFaculty is a factor connecting the Baltic Sea region together, and can - to continue in computer-speak - become a communications port. It should help the Russian oblast of Kaliningrad and its university become academically and economically integrated into the region. The Kaliningrad area stands to benefit from participating in regional cooperation, as does Russia as a whole.

In June 2000 the European Union adopted in Feira, Portugal, the Northern Dimension action plan for the development of the region. This policy was proposed by those EU member states who are also members of the CBSS, and was developed primarily by Finland with German support. These states persuaded the European Union to put the north-east of Europe and the Baltic Sea area, including the Kaliningrad oblast, onto its agenda. Life must now be breathed into the action plan. It is encouraging that the Russian government is now seeking direct talks with the European Commission on this subject. The complementary value that regional cooperation, for example within the CBSS, has for EU policies should not be underestimated. As an overarching forum, bringing together EU states, candidate countries and Russia, the Council of the Baltic Sea States can provide important momentum for the implementation of the Northern Dimension and can aid the search for concrete solutions and projects of regional significance. And it is an important element in the mobilization of shared interests. For the Northern Dimension has only the weight lent to it by the states of the region, together and in coordination with Brussels.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today we are opening the Kaliningrad EuroFaculty. I would like to express my sincere thanks to all those involved in preparing this project for their hard work and their great personal commitment. I would in particular like to mention the following, without this necessarily being a complete list:

- the work of the group of experts, headed by Ms Barnholt,

- the extremely important assistance from the Secretariat of the Council of the Baltic Sea States,

- and, above all, the unwavering will to succeed on the part of the representatives of the universities involved - especially Göttingen and Roskilde universities, which are heading the two consortia, as well as, of course, the KSU, which is "host" to the new EuroFaculty.

I thank the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation as well as local authorities, which in the lead-up to the opening have repeatedly proven their great interest in the success of the project. They confidently assure me that the Kaliningrad EuroFaculty project will do resoundingly well. I wish everyone involved all the very best.

NORWEGIAN CHAIRMANSHIP 2006-2008

The Arctic Council is a high-level forum for cooperation, coordination and interaction between Arctic states, indigenous communities and other Arctic residents.

Norway took over the chairmanship of the Arctic Council from Russia on 26 October 2006. The program for the Norwegian chairmanship is focussing on some of the key challenges facing the Arctic region, being the need for integrated resource management and climate change. Norway will also continue the efforts of the Arctic Council to ensure that the best possible use is made of Arctic Council resources.

Denmark and Sweden will take over the chairmanship after 2008. Norway, Denmark and Sweden have agreed a set of common priorities for the three chairmanships.

The Arctic Council Secretariat will be established in Tromsø.

The Arctic Council website will be regularly updated to ensure that it remains a practical and useful tool for all interested parties.

The Arctic Council

The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum for addressing many of the common concerns and challenges faced by the Arctic states; Canada, Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States.

The Council is a unique forum for co-operation between national governments and indigenous peoples. Six international organizations representing many Arctic indigenous communities have the status of Permanent Participants of the Arctic Council and are involved in the work of the Council in full consultation with governments. The indigenous populations in the Arctic are represented by:

Aleut International Association

Arctic Athabaskan Council

Gwich'in Council International

Inuit Circumpolar Conference

Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North

Saami Council

The Indigenous Peoples Secretariat of the Arctic Council helps Arctic indigenous organisations to work together through the Arctic Council.

Observers to the Arctic Council include European non-arctic countries, international organisations and NGOs.

History

New opportunities for Arctic circumpolar cooperation emerged in the late 1980s during the final reformist phase before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Environmental cooperation was identified as a first step in promoting comprehensive security in the region. The eight Arctic countries adopted an Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS) in 1991. Five years later, in 1996, Foreign Ministers of the Arctic states agreed in the Ottawa Declaration, to form the Arctic Council with a mandate to undertake a broad programme to include all dimensions of sustainable development.

Objective

The Arctic Council is a regional forum for sustainable development, mandated to address all three of its main pillars: the environmental, social and economic.

A key element

From the beginning, Arctic governments and indigenous peoples joined together to make environmental monitoring and assessment a key element of the Arctic Council's agenda. Groundbreaking reports have been prepared and have attracted global attention to the state of the Arctic environment. The approach of the Council encourages continuous dialogue among scientists, policy planners, Arctic residents and political level decision-makers. The decision-making of the Council is heavily based on the scientific work done under the umbrella of the Council and also influenced by the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples.

Member States of the Arctic Council are:

Canada

Denmark

Finland

Iceland

Norway

Sweden

The Russian Federation

The United States of America

About the Nordic Council

Official Nordic co-operation is channelled through two organisations: the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers.

The Nordic Council was formed in 1952 and is the forum for Nordic parliamentary co-operation. The Council has 87 elected members, representing the five countries and three autonomous territories.

The members of the Council are members of the national parliaments, who are nominated by their respective political party. There is thus no procedure for direct election to the Nordic Council.

The Council is unique in that parliamentarians and members of the governments meet for political discusssions at the annual Sessions.

The Nordic Council, which is led by a Presidium, has held an ordinary Session every autumn since 1996. Special sessions on specific themes are organised in between.

On-going political work in the Nordic Council is conducted through committees and party groups.

The Nordic Council is managed by a Secretariat which shares its premises with Secretariat of the Nordic Council of Ministers in Copenhagen. Moreover, the Nordic Council has national secretariats in the Nordic parliaments, attached to the delegations of the respective countries.

The Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers share personnel, finance and service departments. Information activities are managed by a joint information department.

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