Foreign Minister to the EU Arctic Forum in Umeå

On 3 October, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will visit Umeå (Sweden), to attend the EU Arctic Forum.

The forum is co-organised by the European Commission and Sweden.

“While holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU, Finland has sought to keep the Arctic on the agenda discussions. Finland has proposed that the EU update its 2016 Arctic Communication so that it would better meet the new challenges facing the Arctic region and respond to the strong international interest in the region,” says Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto.

The EU’s Arctic Forum is based on the implementation of the EU Arctic Communication, which was published in April 2016.

The first high-level EU-Arctic event and stakeholder forum, which were organised in Oulu on 15-16 June 2017, focused on investments, infrastructure, innovations, education and research activities in the northern regions, as well as on enhancing financial cooperation and coordination in relation to the northern regions of Europe. 

The Forum will bring together representatives from EU institutions, the EU’s northern Member States and EEA countries, regional and local authorities from eastern and northern Finland, northern Norway, northern and central Sweden as well as from Sami organisations. The Arctic Indigenous Peoples Dialogue will also be continued at the Forum.

Barents Euro-Arctic Council meeting

The same day, XVII Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) Foreign Ministers' session will be held in Umeå. 

BEAC was established in 1993 and its members are the Nordic countries, Russia and the EU. It aims to promote stability and sustainable development in the North Calotte region and in north-west Russia.

At the meeting, the two-year chairmanship of BEAC will be handed over from Sweden to Norway. The meeting will review developments in the Barents region, examine its future outlook and adopt a joint declaration dealing with BEAC’s activities.

The Finnish delegation will be led by State Secretary Matti Anttonen. Representatives of the Barents regions in Finland, which are Lapland, Kainuu, North Ostrobothnia and North Karelia, will also attend the meeting.