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Fifth
Barents Euro-Arctic Council,
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Declaration
and Communiqué
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DECLARATION
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We the Council have reviewed progress in the Barents co-operation, in the five years since the Kirkenes Declaration and the foundation of the Council and the Regional Council in 1993. This review has included consideration of work completed and in progress, and the redefining of priorities in various areas of co-operation. We affirm the continuing validity of the principles and aims in the Kirkenes Declaration and declare our determination to continue to act to ensure sustainable development and comprehensive security in the Barents Region. We recognize that regional co-operation is an important factor in promoting pan-European co-operation and security. We welcome the recent Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) decision to develop a Document Charter on European Security. We appreciate the key role of the Regional Council in the Barents co-operation. We welcome and endorse the admission of the Province of Oulu and the county of Västerbotten to full membership of the Regional Council. Their admission substantially strengthens the Barents co-operation. We pay particular attention to the views of the indigenous people regarding their living conditions and traditional subsistence activities and reflect these in our programmes. We welcome the growing involvement of the Observer States in the work of the Council. The accession of Finland and Sweden to the European Union provides it with a strengthened Northern Dimension. The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their member states and the Russian Federation will facilitate closer relations with Russia in many fields. These developments enhance the framework for the European Commission's contribution to the Barents co-operation and have opened new opportunities for the use of existing Community instruments in the Region. Most of our programmes for co-operation are long-term and results may not be immediately visible. Nonetheless -- many programmes are progressing. We weleome as an indispensable achievement of the Barents co-operation the multiplying of contacts, ties and projects involving local govemment, non-govemmental organisations, businesses, professionals and the |
thousands of individuals that have enriched the democratic values in the region and enhanced confidence in its future. Many links have been established with bodies capable of providing technical co-operation and financial development. These ties will be of great value to future co-operative efforts. We note also, for instance, the establishment of intra-regional air connections and the "Cleaner Production" programme as well as projects under the regional "Barents Program". Over the next few years, we shall place more emphasis on economic co-operation, transport, improvement of the environment, including nuclear safety, energy, particularly energy efficiency, educational and research exchanges, and public health programmes. We also welcome efforts to increase civic security in our co-operative objectives. Our govemments will bilaterally encourage confidence enhancing contacts between our military institutions in the Region. More remains to be done to encourage investment and promote trade. Obstacles still exist in the areas of infrastructure and trade barriers, related, i.a., to legal and administrative procedures, high customs charges and taxes. To effectively address issues holding back co-operation in trade and investment is of crucial importance to economic exchange and prosperity in the Region. The need to restore and protect the enviromnent from further degradation is now widely understood and accepted. High priority will continue to be given to the implementation of projects in these flelds. We are particularly concerned about the handling of nuclear waste and nuclear safety in the Region and encourage increased multilateral co-operation in these areas. The Lepse project and the project on treatment of liquid nuclear waste in Murmansk are good examples. We should like steps to be taken towards sustainable management and development of the energy systerns in the region, making use of its rich energy resources. A task of the ad hoc Working Group on Energy will be to follow up the Action Plan on Improvement of the Energy Situation in the Region. In the interests of fostering people-to-people contacts and the sharing of experience across borders within the Region, we strongly support more active cultural and educational exchanges. |
COMMUNIQUÉ
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The Council discussed political, economic, environmental and social developments in the Region since the Council was formed in 1993. The increased co-operation within the Region constitutes an integral part of the effort to create a stable, secure and prosperous Europe. The Council welcomes the growing involvement and encourages further participation by its Member States, the European Union, and Observers in promoting co-operation and development in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region. The entry into force of the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States and the Russian Federation on December 1, 1997, opens new opportunities for co-operation in many fields. Finland has proposed the initiative for the Northern Dimension which is also of direct concern for the Region. The European Council took note of the initiative at its meeting in Luxembourg in 1997. The Regional Council of the Barents Euro-Arctic Region is a vital and pragmatic forum for development at regional and local levels. The admission of the Province of Oulu in Finland and the County of Västerbotten in Sweden to full membership of the Regional Council will further strengthen regional co-operation. Co-operation between the Council and different bodies such as the Arctic Council, the Council of the Baltic Sea States, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), strives to add value and avoids duplication of work. The early involvement of the European Community instruments, most importantly the Tacis and INTERREG programmes, and the international financial institutions, in particular the EBRD, IBRD, NEFCO and NIB, increases the prospects for implementation of projects. The Declaration from the Third Barents Council Meeting of Environment Ministers, including the Report of the Enviromnent Task Force, as well as reports from the Working Group on Economic Co-operation, the Chairman of the Working Group on the Northern Sea Route, and the Regional Council were presented to the Council. An Action Plan on Improvement of the Energy Situation in the Barents Region, as well as an Outline for an Exchange Programme in the Field of Research and Education were also submitted. A report from the Contact Expert Group (CEG) for International Co-operation in Radioactive Waste Management and Related Issues in the Russian Federation under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was also presented. Regional
Council Economic
Co-operation and Trade Accession of the Russian Federation to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) will be crucial in improving market access and facilitating trade and economic co-operation also in the Barents Region. The Council supported Russia's efforts in this direction. The projects which have been subject to special attention are in different stages of preparation. Financial institutions have given them further consideration. Domestic finance or guarantees are necessary to attract foreign investors and secure additional financing. Master Plans are under way for the Archangelsk and the Murmansk harbour, and a feasibility study for the construction of a ship-breaking and metals recycling plant in Murmansk Oblast. The Ledmozero-Kochkoma railway and the conversion of the Zvezdochka military shipyard projects may be given renewed attention when prospects improve for further support. The Council requests the Economic Working Group to continue worlcing for the reduction and elimination of barriers to trade and investment by following developments, drawing attention to regional conditions, and supporting institutional strengthening; and at the same time to proceed in seeking ways to engage private businesses as partners in order to create bankable projects and to support efforts to enlist sources of finance. Co-operation with the Environment Task Force should be continued. Co-operation
in the Field of Energy A network of energy experts at regional, national and international levels has been established as a first stepping stone to further joint action. The Council emphasizes the importance of regional co-ordination as well as continuity of the work at the central level. The recommendations and proposals in the Action Plan on how to improve the energy situation in the Region are useful and should be pursued. The Council decides to establish an ad hoc Working Group on Energy for three years to act as a catalyst and bridge builder to facilitate the implementation of the Action Plan. Environment The Council underlines the need for further integration of environmental aspects into all economic activities and stresses the importance of applying Enviromental Impact Assessment as a necessary tool for economic decision-making. There is an inimediate need for concrete capacity building projects in the field of the environment. In this connection, the Council emphasizes the importance of substantial and continued contributions from all parties to multilateral and bilateral projects such as the Environmental Management Programme for the Murmansk Region and the Cleaner Production Programme. Early implementation of the priority environment projects identified in the NEFCO/AMAP report, as well as projects jointly selected by the Economic Working Group and the Environment Task Force, is important. The Region should co-operate with and benefit from the Agenda 21 programme for the Baltic Sea Region, Baltic 21. The Council underlines the responsibility of the energy, tourism and transport sectors for sustainable development and the need to make sustainable development the framework also for economic co-operation and trade. It notes the work in the Region to develop Local Agenda 21 programmes. |
Health Nuclear
safety and nuclear waste management The Council underlines the need for implementation of the high priority projects in the Russian Federation identified by the Contact Expert Group (CEG), under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), conceming safety problems relating to waste management and regional storage management, particularly the handling of spent nuclear fuel from the Lepse vessel and from decommissioned nuclear submarines. The considerable efforts made to strengthen the monitoring systerns, to improve the safety standards and practices at the Kola Nuclear Power Station are encouraging; however, the need to further improve safety at the nuclear power reactors located in the region remains. The modernisation of the treatment facility for liquid nuclear waste in Murmansk will contribute to the abolition of dumping of liquid nuclear waste at sea and is a positive example of co-operation between Members and Observers. Nevertheless, there is an urgent need to further intensify international co-operation, in particular directed to problems of management, handling and storage of radioactive waste. The fulfilment of obligations under the Convention on Nuclear Safety and other relevant instruments would facilitate this work. The Council stresses the importance of rules, regulations and practices concerning liability for nuclear damage to be adapted to facilitate international co-operation, and that necessary efforts be made to provide a favourable taxation regime for international financing of nuclear safety related projects. Tourism Transport A Memorandum of Understanding on the Development of the Barents Euro-Arctic Transport Area and a Plan of Action are being elaborated by the Ministers of Transport, Railways and Communications from Finland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden, and the Commission of the European Communities. This will significantly contribute to the development of the Area. The Transportation Analysis of the Barents Region prepared by the Regional Council will be a useful tool in this work. The importance of the Northern Sea Route for international and regional maritime transport may increase in the future. The Council underlined the need for co-ordination between its Working Group of the Northem Sea Route and other relevant bodies, and noted work under way in the framework of the International Programme "Northem Sea Route" (INSROP). The opening of the Finnish-Russian border crossing point Kelloselkä-Salla for international traffic will be a significant step in the promotion of increased market access and closer people-to-people contacts in the Region, as will the new customs and border station at the Norwegian-Russian border crossing Storskog-Borisoglebsk. Cultural
exchanges Indigenous
people The Council recognises the Barents process as generating co-operation from the grass-roots to the top political levels, and thereby contributing to the construction of a new, undivided Europe. The Council considered the reports on ongoing work in the Region and noted progress in many flelds. While the trend is encouraging, much work remains to ensure the transition to sustainable development at all levels of governance . Various actions and measures undertaken to facilitate the free movement of people, goods, capital and services, and to promote cultural exchanges, are particularly useful. Some progress is also achieved in the area of nuclear safety and nuclear waste management. Action to improve and protect the environment is increasing. Work in the fields of economic co-operation, energy, environment, and transport has a long-term perspective and is contributing to the development of the Region. The Council emphasizes the need for closer co-operation with other international actors involved in the development of Northern Europe. The Council underlines that work at local and regional levels is fundamental to the success of the Barents co-operation. The Regional Council and its subsidiary bodies play a central role in improving the efficiency of co-operation. The Council endorses the admission of the Province of Oulu and Västerbotten to full membership of the Regional Council and extends the Region accordingly. The Council encourages increased regional co-operation and agrees that strengthened co-operation between the regional and national levels is needed. The Council notes the continued need for financing for project implementation at the regional level. The Council requests the Committee of Senior Officials to monitor the implementation of its recommendations for action and to promote further regional co-operation. The Committee is also requested to consider future ways to intensify the Barents co-operation, and to present a proposal to this effect to the Sixth Session of the Council. The Council thanks the Government of Sweden for its constructive efforts in carrying out the chairmanship of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council. The Council accepts the kind invitation of the Govemment of Norway to host the next session of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, in Bodø at the beginning of 1999. |
This document was first published on the web by Ardea Miljö AB, on 6 June 1999.