Venue: The Swedish Representation to the EU, Square de Meeus 30 Time: Tuesday 5 June 8:30-13:00 followed by Barents Cooperation 25 Years Anniversary Lunch (Arctic seafood and refreshments)
The Barents cooperation, covering northernmost Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, is a unique cooperation in the European Arctic
Through 25 years, it has delivered high-level dialogue in the region along with everyday people-to-people collaboration and regional cooperation. It is a unique platform that involves the EU as a participating partner, together with Iceland and Denmark and representatives from the indigenous communities.
The Arctic is of enhanced importance due to increasing challenges that also delivers new opportunities.
It is of immense importance to keep the low-tension in the region to be able to tackle the common global challenges, building on a day-to-day, local and regional collaboration over the borders in the European Arctic region.
The seminar will discuss how the Barents cooperation these 25 years have been of great importance and a best practice for cross-border cooperation in Northern Europe, and how we see the Barents cooperation develop into the future.
High-level speakers and practitioners from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia and the EU will present the best practices for cross-border cooperation in the Barents region followed by a “Talking Barents” panel debate.
OPEN CALL: REFINERY 2018-2019 Refinery of Sustainable Cultural Tourism Products in the Northern Dimension Area
The project is looking for participants from the field of tourism and creative industry to develop sustainable cultural tourism products and services
Application deadline 25.5.2018 Open to applicants from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Lithuania and Germany
WHAT IS REFINERY? The project enhances the collaboration between the tourism and creative industries within the Barents and Baltic Sea regions. The main target is to create sustainable cultural tourism products and services to each participating region. The project brings professionals from the creative field and from the tourism sector together and organizes service design workshops where participants create new ideas for products and services together.
PROJECT ACTIVITIES The set of three service design workshops includes the basic knowledge of service design, its concepts and methods. The approach is practical. Participants develop ideas and make “fast and dirty” service prototypes together. Workshops are led by facilitator and service designer Elisa Lahti MA (Master of Art and Design). She has several years of experience from various workshops, including service design, product development and professional identification.
SCHEDULE Information letters to the selected participants 8/18-9/18 1. Workshop Petrozavodsk, Karelia, Russia 10/18 2. Workshop Vilnius, Lithuania 12/18 3. Workshop Rovaniemi, Finland 2/19 or 6/19 Final task for participants 9/19 Participants provide a description of developed/tested services/products 11/19
WHO CAN APPLY Professionals from the creative field and from the tourism sector, individuals or organisations, with an idea or pilot project and strong interest to develop new products or services to the field of cultural tourism from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Lithuania and Germany.
HOW TO APPLY Participants can apply with an informal application letter with the brief description of the service/product they are willing to develop during the project. Maximum length 1 A4.
Send the application with a title “Refinery application” by 25th May to Refinery –project assistant ninni.korkalo(at)gmail.com
PROJECT COVERS The project will offer three moderated workshops (Petrozavodsk, Vilnius and Rovaniemi) and provide participants with meals (mainly lunches and coffees) and accommodation during their stay in above mentioned cities. Project budget does not allow for a daily allowances or airport transfers but you can contact our project team about travel costs reimbursement.
Project is supported by Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and operated by Ministry of Education and Culture, Arts Promotion Centre Finland in co-operation with regional cultural authorities.
The Barents Cooperation Forum was organized in Helsinki on December 8th by University of Applied Sciences of Kajaani, Regional Council of Kainuu and the Barents Euro-Arctic Region secretariat.
Representatives of several programmes and ministries brought a multitude of funding news to the audience. After the presentations it was possible to participate in workshops and bilateral meetings with 150 participants interested in the Barents region as a cooperation platform.
Following presentations can now be downloaded on forum website:
Opening words Pentti Malinen, Regional Mayor, Regional Council of Kainuu
Summary and highlights from Barents region cooperation survey Mikko Keränen, R&D Director, Kajaani University of Applied Sciences
Collaboration between Arctic ETC (European Territorial Cooperation) programmes Ole Damsgaard, Head of Secretariat, Northern Periphery Programme Secretariat
Enhancing Financing Cooperation in the Barents and Arctic Regions Birgit Autere, Team Leader Regional Cooperation, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
How can Barents cooperation projects be financed? The role of the International Barents Secretariat as a facilitator of financing Laura Quist, Executive Officer, The International Barents Secretariat
Opportunities and challenges for the Barents Cooperation. Viewpoints and experiences of the Russian BEAC Chairmanship 2015-2017 Sergey Petrovitch, Deputy Director of the Second European Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
EU external cross-border cooperation. Lessons learned and opportunities for the Barents region. Norwegian viewpoints and experiences. Elizaveta Vassilieva, Adviser, The Norwegian Barents Secretariat
Case example: The New Horizons. What is a successful International project made of? Tomas Lind, Project manager
NEFCO financing for environmental projects with a focus on the Barents Region (Presented at Project clinic Q&A) Henrik G Forsström, Senior Adviser, Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO)
Programme for Environment and Climate Co-operation. Northwest Russia - Nordic countries (Presented at Project clinic Q&A) Nordic Council of Ministers
Barents Cooperation Forum takes place in Helsinki, Finland on December 8th. The Forum offers the latest information on the development activities and funding opportunities within the region. The Forum will also serve as a platform for creating strategic partnerships for new projects and other collaborative initiatives.
The forum targets a wide spectrum of companies, municipalities, universities and researchers from Barents region interested keeping up to date with the developments in the region, participating in workshop discussions, sharing new project ideas and finding collaboration partners.
The Barents region comprises the northernmost parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. It was established in 1993 as a result of the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and it is also the first macroregion to move beyond the Cold War's Iron Curtain. Six million people live in the Barents Region.
The encyclopedia represents the ultimate guide to the region bridging the gap between Russia and the Nordic countries in terms of geography, history, ethnicity, religion, cultural content, political systems and economies. It fullfills the project about the Barents Region which started with The Barents Region. A Transnational History of Subarctic Northern Europe.
The BEAC Ministerial Meeting took place in Arhangelsk, Russia on June 20th. The gathered participants from transport authorities from Norway, Finland, Sweden, European Commission, regional administrations - members of the Barents Regional Council, International Barents Secretariat, Council of the Baltic Sea States, as well as various stakeholders in the transport sector, and academics.
Talking Barents seminar was held at Norway House in Brussels in 16th June 2016. The seminar was organized by the Norwegian Barents Secretariat and the North Norway European Office.
The seminar was about Barents Cooperation and it focused in opportunities and challenges in the cross-border cooperation in culture, business development, indigenous peoples’ issues, education, civil society and environmental protection. About 100 participants attended.
Find more information, video and summary from seminar at North Norway website.
In May 2016, NordRegio approved funding of the project on Climate Change Mitigation in the Barents region from the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Arctic Programme. The project follows the Climate Change Action Plan for the Barents cooperation, which was adopted at the Meeting of the Environment Ministers of the BEAC, held in Inari in December 2013. The application was prepared in cooperation with the BEAC Working Group on Environment.
Norrbotten County Administration (Sweden) is the lead partner of the project. The network includes Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Finnish Ministry of Environment, Arctic Center in Rovaniemi and Ministry of Natural Resources of Arkhangelsk region. International Barents Secretariat is going to follow the project’s implementation, assist in coordination between Nordic and Russian partners and contribute to information dissemination.
The project has been granted 300.000 DKK. Co-financing from both Nordic and Russian partners is awaited. The funding will be allocated for networking activities, such as seminars, workshops and a study visit to Sweden, as well as mapping of sources of greenhouse gas emissions in a pilot settlement of Arkhangelsk region.
Cooperation on the Climate Change issues is aimed at development of regional climate strategies for the Russian part of the Barents region, which will contribute to reducing of GHG emissions that accelerate climate change.
BARENTS COOPERATION The open window between Europe and Russia
Date: 16th of June 2016 Venue: Norway House, Rue Archimède 17, Brussels Time: 14h00-17h00 + Reception
The North Norway European Office and the North Norway European Office welcome participants to take part in the Talking Barents seminar, which aims at providing the EU capital with more knowledge about the unique examples of best practice, as well as challenges and opportunities the Barents cooperation face.
Northern (Arctic) Federal University (NArFU) hosted a meeting of the BEAC Joint Working Group on Education and Research (JWGER) in April 2016. The group unites 15 universities and research institutions from the northern territories of Russia, Norway, Finland and Sweden, aimed at solving crucial problems of scientific and educational cooperation expansion in the Barents Region. NArFU has been co-chairing the group since 2011.
The meeting's agenda included an overview of universities' international activities, presentation of JWGER group's work results in 2016, and discussion of the Barents universities’ role in the implementation of the Russian BEAC Chairmanship objectives.
In addition, it was decided to prolong NArFU’s chairmanship for the next two years. Marina Kalinina, Rector’s Adviser on International Cooperation, shall continue her work as the JWGER Chair.
The latest Barents Saga newsletter is now available! Read updates from the BEAC chairmanship, reports on cross-border tourism and stories from a Russian beer brewery. The newsletter is available on the International Barents Secretariat webpage.
The Commission of Senior Officials of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) met in Arkhangelsk, Russia, on 22 March 2016 with the participation of representatives of the European Union and ministries of foreign affairs of the Russian Federation, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland. The meeting was held within the frames of the Russian Federation chairmanship in the Barents Euro-Arctic Council.
The Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) set up an Ad Hoc Working Group to assess the financial needs, existing financial sources and financing gaps in the Barents region. Report on the results of the assessment was recently published.
Finland’s two-year Chairmanship of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) started in late 2013 and has now reached the half-way mark. BEAC is a forum for intergovernmental and interregional cooperation in the Barents Region. As the chair, Finland strives to strengthen the exchange of information and dialogue between the different regional fora. The atmosphere in the Council has been constructive and progress has been made in many issues such as the development of Barents Transport Plan and regional climate strategies.
Northern Beauty - Barents' Visual Arts in the 1970s and the 1980s
The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the people-to-people cooperation and identity building of the Barents region by establishing cooperation between arts and cultural institutions
Proposals for development of transport corridors for further studies
The Barents Euro-Arctic Region
Economic and social development in the Barents Region requires better transport connections, and the aim for the work has been a joint approach to look at the future need for transport in the Barents Region.
The purpose of this paper is to describe logistics infrastructure in the Murmansk region and northern Finland, to pinpoint major barriers in the sphere of logistics impeding the development of cross-border operations between the Murmansk region and Finland and to single out main logistic challenges faced by the companies internationalizing onto the Murmansk region market.
Cross-cultural network management: case study in connecting young Barents -network
Tiina Idström (2013)
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the reflections of cultural diversity on network management. The theoretical background of the research is in theories of cultural diversity and network management. As the basic theory of national cultures, I have used Hofstede’s cultural dimensions which are power–distance, individualism–collectivism, masculinity–femininity and avoidance of uncertainty. The main researchers on the field of network management are Agranoff and McGuire with their theory about collaborative management activities.
The main goal of the project is to develop logistics competencies and deepen educational cooperation between the universities and educational institutions together with public and business organizations in the Barents Region.
Centre for Economic Development, Transport and Environment for Lapland (ELYLAP), Finland
In response to new challenges arising this project sets out to improve the economic and social development of the local communities in the Kolarctic area.
Project’s overall objectives are to support public-private collaboration for achieving the sustainable development; to enhance the using of developed practises and recommendations for sustainable social licensing, environmental regulation; to sustain research network collaboration; to contribute to the diminishing risks in global mining investments in the Euro-Arctic Barents region.
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