Northern Dimension

Solutions to environmental risks linked with energy issues, logistics and transport in the northern regions are identified in cooperation among the countries of the region. Photo: MEK-Image

The Northern Dimension (ND) is cooperation between four equal partners:  The European Union, Russia, Norway and Iceland. Geographically, the policy covers North-West Russia, the Baltic Sea and the Arctic regions, including the Barents region. The USA and Canada hold observer status in the ND.

The Northern Dimension policy aims to support stability, well-being and sustainable development in the region by means of practical cooperation. It is an instrument through which the European Union, Russia, Norway and Iceland cooperate in selected fields, such as the environment and nuclear safety or social welfare and health care issues. Matters of specific relevance to the North, such as the fragile Arctic environment and indigenous peoples, are also addressed.

The cooperation takes place through four partnerships:  the Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership (NDEP), the Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being (NDPHS), the Northern Dimension Partnership on Transport and Logistics (NDPTL) and the Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture (NDPC). In addition, two new initiatives have been developed: the Northern Dimension Institute (NDI), comprising a network of universities specialising in matters related to the Northern Dimension, and the Northern Dimension Business Council (NDBC) to create a platform for dialogue between companies and the public authorities.

The operation of the Northern Dimension is based on co-financing, which underlines cooperation between equal partners. Funds are received not only from individual countries but also from the EU's financial instruments and programmes, international financial institutions, regional actors and the private sector.     

The Northern Dimension policy was renewed during Finland's EU Presidency in 2006. As a result of the reform, the ND became a common policy of the EU, the Russian Federation, Norway and Iceland. New ND documents, the Political Declaration and its Annex, the Policy Framework Document, were also adopted in this context.

The Northern Dimension brochure