European Commission support for the Barents Euro-Arctic Council
The Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) was established in 1993 with the aim of promoting sustainable development in the Barents Euro-Arctic region - situated in the extreme North of Europe on the borders of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Russian Federation. The European Commission actively supports and participates in the work of the Council as part of its overall policy of support to the Barents region. The BEAC serves as a forum for regional cooperation between Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation and Sweden, along with the European Commission. Cooperation in the BEAC framework focuses on economic cooperation, the environment, regional infrastructure, people-to-people contacts including educational and cultural exchange, the situation of indigenous peoples, and the development of tourism. Special attention is devoted to the development of the Russian part of the region. EU assistance in the Barents region is provided through use of existing EU instruments, notably TACIS, INTERREG, and the Objective 6 Structural Funds programmes. Since 1991, over ECU 300 million has been made available to the region. This covers activities in a wide range of fields, including the promotion of regional development and trans-frontier cooperation, the safeguarding of the region's environment, the improvement of nuclear safety and the handling of nuclear waste, the enhancement of educational and cultural exchange, and the promotion of research and development. Regular meetings are held between the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the BEAC, in which the European Commissioner for External Relations, Mr. Hans van den Broek, also participates. At the latest BEAC meeting (19-20 January 1998) held in Lulea, Sweden, the presidency of the Council, previously held by Sweden, was handed over to Norway.
Countries
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden