Barents cooperation
Barents cooperation brings a regional and practical perspective to broader Arctic cooperation.
Barents Euro-Arctic Council
The Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) was established at Norway’s initiative by the Kirkenes Declaration in 1993. The members of the BEAC are Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland and the European Union. The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Canada, Poland, France, Germany and the United States serve as observers on the Council.
The BEAC aims to promote stability and sustainable development in the Barents region, which covers the northern parts of Finland, Sweden and Norway. Barents cooperation does not deal with security policy matters or marine cooperation. Barents cooperation has produced concrete results that promote sustainable development, foster connections between people, improve the vitality of northern regions and develop transport and logistics.
Finland has, together with the other Nordic countries and the European Union, condemned Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. As a result, the other member states and the EU suspended Barents cooperation with Russia in March 2022. Russia withdrew from Barents cooperation on 18 September 2023.
Barents Regional Council
The Barents Regional Council (BRC) was established simultaneously with the BEAC. It consists of the following regions and counties: the Kainuu, Lapland, North Karelia and North Ostrobothnia regions of Finland, Västerbotten and Norrbotten counties in Sweden and Troms, Finnmark and Nordland counties in Norway.
Practical cooperation in working groups
Practical Barents cooperation is carried out in sectoral working groups. These are health and social issues, education and research, culture, forests, tourism, transport and logistics, economic cooperation, environment, youth issues, rescue cooperation, the Barents Region Youth Council (BRYC) and the Working Group of Indigenous Peoples (WGIP).
The Joint Committee on Rescue Cooperation (JCRC) is an independent entity operating based on the Agreement on Cooperation within the Field of Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response, which was signed in 2008.
The Working Group of Indigenous Peoples in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region (WGIP) consists or representatives of the Sámi and has an advisory role in all other working groups’ meetings.
The International Barents Secretariat (IBS), which was established in January 2008, is based in Kirkenes, Norway. The IBS serves both intergovernmental and regional Barents cooperation.