History
Recent years have seen far-reaching changes in the geopolitical map of northern Europe. The Baltic States regained their independence in 1991. Finland and Sweden joined the EU in 1995, and Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in 2004. These events greatly increased the Northern and Baltic “presence” of the EU, and substantially lengthened the common border shared by the EU and the Russian Federation. It was imperative to address constructively the new challenges and opportunities which these changes have created.
The Northern Dimension as an important topic for EU policy was first recognised at the Luxembourg European Council in December 1997. In the years which followed, the concept became more concrete. The Vienna European Council in December 1998 adopted a Commission Communication on a ‘Northern Dimension for the policies of the Union'. Six months later, in Cologne, the European Council adopted Guidelines for the implementation of the Northern Dimension. In November 1999, the Finnish EU Presidency held a Ministerial Conference on the Northern Dimension, where an Inventory of current activities under the Northern Dimension was adopted. The Helsinki European Council in December 1999 invited the Commission to prepare a Northern Dimension Action Plan, and the Feira European Council in June 2000 subsequently adopted this first ‘Action Plan for the Northern Dimension in the external and cross-border policies of the European Union, 2001-2003.
In April 2001 the Swedish EU Presidency and the European Commission organised the 2nd Ministerial Conference on the Northern Dimension in Luxembourg. In June 2001, the Gothenburg European Council endorsed a Full Report on Northern Dimension Policies that, while taking stock of the activities undertaken to implement the Feira Action Plan, also outlined ideas and proposals for the continuation of the Northern Dimension initiative.
A ministerial meeting in Illulisaat, Greenland in August 2002 discussed possible guidelines for a Second Northern Dimension Action Plan, which were adopted at a ministerial meeting in Luxembourg in October 2002. Following this, the Commission proposed the 2nd NDAP in June 2003, and this was adopted at the European Council in Brussels in October 2003. This 2nd NDAP covers the period 2004-2006.
As foreseen under the 2nd NDAP, progress in implementing the Action Plan will be reviewed by meetings of Senior Officials and of Ministers held in alternate years. The first such Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) was held in Brussels in October 2004, and the Ministerial Meeting will be held in the autumn of 2005.
Annual reports on NDAP implementation are produced by the European Commission (the most recent covering 2004; the next will be produced in spring 2005.) In addition, the Commission has since summer of 2004 hosted on its website a comprehensive Northern Dimension Information System, presenting in an easily accessible format information on a wide range of Northern Dimension activities being carried forward by all Northern Dimension partners.
On 21 November 2005, the Northern Dimension ministerial meeting held in Brussels approved by unanimity 'the Guidelines for the development of a political declaration and policy framework document for Northern Dimension policy from 2007'. These Guidelines are the agreed basis to draft in 2006 new basic Northern Dimension documents that will open a new phase of this policy. For example, the parties agreed that the Northern Dimension is a shared policy and that it will be the regional expression in the North of Europe of the EU / Russia Common Spaces although keeping its own specificities, i.e. full membership of Norway and Iceland, special concern about environment and health issues, protection of indigenous peoples, etc. Joint Press Release on the IV Northern Dimension Ministerial Meeting. The political declaration and the policy framework document will become a stable basis for the Northern Dimension as from 2007.
Also a new dimension of this complex relationship is emerging with the melting of the Arctic through climate change. Many resources are newly accessible and this could lead to a power struggle.
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