Northern Dimension

The Northern Dimension in the external and cross-border co-operation policies of the European Union encompasses the Baltic Sea region, Arctic Sea region and North-west Russia. With the implementation of the idea of the Northern Dimension one expects to give to the Baltic Sea region and northern region added value through a strengthened and complemented co-operation, to increase stability and security in the region and to guarantee the continuation of democratic reforms, as well as continuous development.

Co-operation in the framework of the Northern Dimension has been summarized under the following subdivisions:

• economy, business and infrastructure;
• human resources, education, culture, scientific research and health;
• the environment, nuclear safety and natural resources;
• cross-border co-operation and regional development;
• justice and home affairs.

For the first time the idea of the Northern Dimension was made public by Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari in 1994. At the Luxembourg Summit in December 1997 Finland made an official proposal for the development of the Northern Dimension as part of the European Union’s common policy. Two years later, in December 1999 the Helsinki European Council invited the European Commission to work out together with Member States and partner countries a Northern Dimension Action Plan.

Out of the former partner countries in the Northern Dimension Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland became, as of 1 May 2004 Member States of the European Union. It has given a fresh impetus to co-operation in the area, but it has also altered the geographical focus of former co-operation within the Northern Dimension by directing it more than previously to North-west Russia and Kaliningrad Oblast.

At present the implementation of the Second Northern Dimension Action Plan drafted for the years 2004 – 2006 is going on. Two partnerships of the Northern Dimension have proved to be the most successful: environmental partnership and partnership in public health and social well-being. The Support Fund of the environmental partnership established in 2002 has already expended large sums on the funding of relevant environment sustainability projects in our near region. The partnership in public health and social well-being is inter alia focused on such an important problem for us as fight against the proliferation of communicable diseases, including tuberculosis and AIDS. Since the format of partnership in implementing the Northern Dimension has turned out to be so successful the launch of a third partnership in the field of transport and logistics is being considered.

Activities in the field of the Northern Dimension are conducted in the framework of the existing treaty basis (European Treaty, EU- Russia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, European Economic Area, Russia-strategy) with the existing monetary means (PHARE/ISPA/SAPARD, TACIS, INTERREG) and through the existing regional bodies.

The EU’s funds and international financial institutions, primarily the EIB, EBRD, NIB/NEFCO and the World Bank, play an important role in enhancing and promoting investment possibilities in the region. Also the private sector is expected to be more than before involved in the realization of the projects.

Out of the regional bodies the Council of the Baltic Sea States, the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, the Arctic Council, the Barents Regional Council, the Union of the Baltic Cities, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Baltic Council of Ministers participate in the implementation of the Northern Dimension Action Plan. The most active role up to now has been performed by the Council of the Baltic Sea States, on which initiative in December 2001 the "sector lead countries" for the Northern Dimension were appointed.

Northern Dimension Partnerships

Environmental Partnership (NDEP)

The NDEP, having got its beginning in 2001 and being mainly directed at Russia is an initiative in the Northern Dimension most promising of added value, the so-called success-story of the Northern Dimension, which has been well launched and in case of which new funds have been raised in addition to the existing financing sources. On 9 July 2002 the pledging conference for the environmental partnership took place, as a result of which contributions totaling EUR 110 million were gathered to the NDEP Support Fund (the EC, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Russia contributed). For the present an agreement has been reached on the funding of 12 environmental projects, of which many are being implemented and some of them have also been terminated. For instance Finland among other things supported such a NDEP project as St.Petersburg Waste Water Treatment Plant, which treats 80 % of the city's wastewater. The plant, ceremoniously opened on 22 September 2005 makes a notable contribution to the cleanliness of the Baltic Sea as one of the most polluted inland seas of the world. Relevant projects improving the state of the environment are about to be launched also in Kaliningrad – another problematic area on coast of the Baltic Sea.

Another important objective of the NDEP is to deal with the problems of nuclear safety. In the focus of the project is the Kola Peninsula, where the world's largest nuclear waste repository is located.

On 6 December 2004 the Assembly of Contributors of the NDEP Support Fund met in London, where additional allocations were made by Germany and Canada and also Belgium made a smaller contribution. Estonia has not made contributions to the Support Fund up to the present.

More thorough information on the website at: http://www.ndep.org/

Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being (NDPHS)

On 27 October 2003 in Oslo in the framework of the meeting of the Nordic and Baltic Prime Ministers partnership in public health and social well-being was officially launched. The partnership is focused on such important topics as the stemming of the proliferation of dangerous infectious diseases (HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis) and the prevention of life-style related diseases, as well as the promoting of a healthy life-style in the Northern Dimension area. To sustain the partnership a fund operating on similar bases as the Support Fund of the environmental partnership is being planned.

More information on partnership in public health and social well-being on the home-page at: http://www.ndphs.org

Northern Dimension Information System

On the initiative of the European Commission the Northern Dimension Information System (NDIS) has been created which draws information on the Northern Dimension related initiatives in different countries. The Information System is a home page complemented by the national contact points of the partner countries and open for public use, reflecting all concrete projects implemented in the framework of the Northern Dimension. One can get acquainted with those projects at: http://europa.eu/comm/external_relations/north_dim/nis/index.htm

Estonia's main interests in the framework of the Northern Dimension are:

• joining the energy networks of the Nordic countries and by those means enhancing the energy service reliability;
• development of the transport network and connecting the Via Baltica with Pan-European transport corridors;
• co-operation in improving the environmental state of the Baltic Sea and of its surrounding area;
• information and communication related co-operation.

Restructuring of the bases of the Northern Dimension

As a reaction to Russia's wish to be treated on an equal bases with the European Union Member States in the framework of the Northern Dimension, Finland and Sweden made a proposal not to compile a new Northern Dimension Action Plan any more, but replace it with a strategic-policy framework document, which would provide the Northern Dimension with general bases. Reacting to the proposal the European Commission published on 14 March 2005 a document "Northern Dimension options beyond 2006", in which the Commission admits the necessity to move from the former relatively rigid system of action plans and concrete projects to a principle-based operating system, which would provide an opportunity for the regular reviews of the priorities and would thus offer enhanced flexibility. The principles set forth in the document of the Commission were unanimously approved by the Member States. Also Russia agreed with the Commission's proposals.

Relying on guidelines and discussions with the EU Member States, the European Commission will in 2006 work out a new draft framework document to become the underlying document for the Northern Dimension, which should obtain final approval by the termination of the Finnish Presidency in 2006.

Conference on The Renewed Northern Dimension: A Tool for enhanced regional and cross-border cooperation, in Tallinn, June 9th 2006