On the invitiation of the Swedish Parliament
representatives of the national parliaments of Norway, Russia and
Sweden, representatives of eight regional parliamentary bodies from
the Northern regions of those States, the Nordic Council, the Baltic
Sea Parliamentary Conference, the Conference of Artic Parliamentarians, the
Parliamentary Association of the North-West of Russia, the Saami
Parliamentary Council, as well as invited guests and experts from
relevant governmental and non-governmental authorities, met on 19-20
May 2011 in Luleå, County of Norrbotten, Sweden.
Main themes of the discussions were Environmentally
Sustainable Economic Growth, Industry and Commerce including Indigenous Entrepreneurship,
and Infrastructural Development. The Conference was opened by the
Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, Mr. Per Westerberg.
taking into account the principles and provisions of
the Declaration on cooperation in the Barents Euro-Arctic region
(Kirkenes, Norway) as of 1993, which is the basis for multilateral
co-operation in the Barents region;
having regard to the Resolution of the Fourth Parliamentary
Barents Conference (Syktyvkar, Russia, 26-27 May 2009), again demonstrating the
importance of the parliamentary dimension for introducing and promoting
various forms of co-operation in the Northern part of Europe;
having regard to the Programme of the Swedish Presidency
of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council 2009-2011, which is focusing
on transition to an eco-efficient economy and intensified cooperation
regarding renewable energy and energy efficiency
having regard to the Resolution of the First
Barents Indigenous Peoples’ Congress (Kirkenes, Norway, 4-5 February
2010), underlining that enhanced participation by the indigenous
peoples in the Barents cooperation would greatly contribute to this
cooperation
having regard to the Joint Statement of the
Second Ministerial Meeting of the renewed Northern Dimension (Oslo,
Norway, 2 November 2010), underlining i.a. the
need for close cooperation between the Northern Dimension Structures
and the four Regional Councils in the North, as well as the valuable
input that parliaments can bring in the functioning of the northern
Dimension policy
having regard to the Conference Statement of
the Second Northern Dimension Parliamentary Forum (Tromsö, Norway,
22-23 February 2011), which contains a number of significant proposals
and requests to the governments of the Northern Dimension cooperation,
and confirms the commitment of the parliamentarians to promoting
it;
having regard also to the results and the views expressed
by representatives of national and regional parliamentarians, state
and local authorities, political organizations, indigenous peoples, youth,
business, art and education circles, and social and non-profit organizations
concerning how continued and further improved cooperation can contribute
to a positive development of the Barents region;
conscious of the common geographical and environmental
situation, the cultural similarities, the economic interrelationship
and shared possibilities and challenges of the Barents region and the
countries and nations to which it belongs;
Reaffirm their support
for effective use of existing structures provided by the Barents
Cooperation on national and regional levels in order to develop
common assets and resources and to address common challenges in
the region.
Recognize the need for
additional measures in order to further improve the economic, social, environmental
and cultural situation of the peoples inhabiting the region, including
in particular support to the efforts of the indigenous peoples of
the region to enhanced participation in the Barents cooperation,
to strengthen social and economic foundations of their life, and
to protect their national traditions, cultures and mother tongues,
Appreciate that additional
possibilities to achieve these goals are provided by updated policies
of the Northern Dimension of the European Union, Iceland, Norway
and the Russian Federation, of the Arctic Council, the Nordic Council of
Ministers and the Council of Baltic Sea States, and by coordination
and cooperation between those structures and the Barents Euro-Arctic Council.
to support measures for environmentally sustainable
economic growth in the Barents Euro-Arctic region
to promote new technologies in order to preserve and
protect the environment, including better methods of waste management
to promote innovation in the production of renewable
as well as non-renewable forms of energy, continuously improving
safety standards,
to support projects to increase the use of renewable
energy and to improve energy efficiency,
to cooperate in order to facilitate exploitation
of natural resources while paying particular attention to the rights
of the indigenous peoples and to the special climate and environmental
conditions of the region,
to recognize that substantial cuts in the emission of
carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses are the backbone of meaningful
global climate change mitigation efforts, and therefore
to initiate and support development of new technologies,
projects and international cooperation designed to reduce such emissions
to recognize that while climate change is a
global threat, it will have particularly devastating consequences
in the Northern regions and for the traditional livelihood of the
indigenous peoples,
to recognize that cross-border cooperation is crucial
to the development of industry and commerce in the Barents region,
to continue efforts, therefore, to facilitate
cross-border movement of persons, goods and services, i.a. by simplifying
visa regimes and customs procedures
to provide additional support for efforts to
cross-border cooperation in sustainable economic development, between
regional and local authorities,
between industries, enterprises or entrepreneurs, and
between the public and private sectors
to recognize the important role that the EU Structural
Funds have played in promoting
development and cross-border cooperation in
the region, and to work to ensure that the region can benefit from
similar programs during the post-2013 planning period
to facilitate extraction and refinement of natural resources,
entrepreneurship, and development of tourism, with a special focus
on the social and environmental aspects of economic development
to support the development of entrepreneurship among
the indigenous peoples, paying particular attention to the opportunities
to develop their traditional livelihoods into commercially viable
enterprises that may improve the living conditions and social situation
of indigenous peoples, while preserving and developing their cultural
heritage and their right to maintain and develop contacts, relations
and cooperation with their own members as well as other peoples
across international borders
to continue to support indigenous peoples’ participation
in decision-making processes that have a direct impact on the indigenous
people
to support the development of effective youth policies
in all areas of Barents cooperation, in particular as regards access
to modern education promoting creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship
as well as access to the labour market, including in advanced industrial
and service sectors
to welcome the agreement between Russia and Norway
on a visa free regime for residents living in the border area, i.a. as a first, but important step towards
a common labour market in the region
to support academic and scientific institutions with
the highest international standard in the region, and to promote
contacts, cooperation and mobility between them, as well as promoting
the acknowledgment and protection of traditional knowledge in innovation
to recognize the need for high-quality transport systems,
energy transmission lines and other infrastructure within the Barents
area, as well as improvement of transnational and intercontinental
transport connections, as a prerequisite for improvement of living
conditions, extraction and refinement of natural resources, and
for the development of industry and commerce
to promote multimodal transport strategies and policies
that take into account environmental concerns, conducting environmental
impact assessments and promoting energy-efficient solutions and
high safety standards
to give high priority to creating east-west
transport corridors, connecting the Barents region with Asia, thereby
improving its competitiveness on the global level
to develop seaports and the corresponding inland transport
systems, at the same time promoting measures to improve safety and
to reduce harmful emissions from shipping
to welcome the Agreement on Cooperation in Aeronautical
and Maritime Search and Rescue in the Arctic, signed at the Seventh
Ministerial Meeting of the Arctic Council on 12 May 2011
to take additional measures to ensure adequate resources
and international cooperation to improve the safety of maritime
navigation, and to ensure the capacity to respond to emergencies
or accidents, including the rescue of passengers and response to
oil spills or other potential environmental disasters
their commitment to cooperation in order to
consolidate and further develop the Barents region as a peaceful,
stable, innovative and prosperous part of Europe,
welcome with gratitude
the offer of the Norwegian Parliament to convene the 6th Parliamentary
Barents Conference in 2013 in Norway.