Madam chair, dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

 

- The Barents Region is becoming a strategic region for the Europe. Its natural resources and new transportation routes will change the global map on resource use and transportation. The area is already a world leader in paper and pulp production. Additionally, it has been estimated that all of the 14 minerals listed by the European Commission as critical to the European Union can be found in the Barents Region.

 

- This means that the extraction of natural resources in the Barents Region is mostly driven by the increasing needs outside of the region. The industries operating here – mining, oil and gas production and forestry – will bring new opportunities, but also drastically change the environment, if environmental considerations are not taken carefully and properly into account. These issues are a challenge for every country and demand a pan-Barents approach.

 

- Until today, the Barents Region is proud of its clean environment, large intact natural areas and unique indigenous culture in Europe. An important challenge, thus, for the prosperity of the region is to attract responsible, sustainable and environmentally sound economic activities to the area.

 

- At the moment, we are preparing for the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development next year. We need to consider how to follow the upcoming Rio+20 decisions on the regional level and especially, how to implement the green economy approach in our cooperation. We will have an excellent opportunity to direct the Barents cooperation to recognize the environmental challenges facing this region when the 20-year anniversary of the Barents cooperation is celebrated in 2013 and when drafting begins on the second Kirkenes Declaration.

 

- During the Finnish chairmanship period of the Barents Working Group on Environment we will strive to promote environmental issues in the major economic activities in the Barents Region. More communication on environmental issues with, and between, the economic stakeholders in the region needs to be developed. Here I mean e.g. business, research community, indigenous people and environmental organizations. I would like to invite all stakeholders in the Barents Region to strengthen their efforts and introduce new ways to enhance corporate environmental and social responsibility and to disseminate of best environmental practices within the key economic sectors in the region.

 

- Almost ten years ago we got a report on the hot spots on the Russian side of the Barents Region. Since then

 

- We will do our best to facilitate the continuation of hot spot exclusion and promote cleaner production activities to support the goal to start environmental measures at every hot spot by 2013. I would like to encourage us all to work intensively to achieve results that will improve the state of the environment in the Barents Region and that will bring significant benefits to the local inhabitants. Although the final exclusion from the list might be challenging, I am happy to note that much progress and environmental improvements are taking place. This means that towards the end of our chairmanship there will be a need to take stock of our progress – that is, to show, what we have achieved, to analyse any shortcomings, and to decide future directions.

 

Madam Chair,

 

- By enhancing cooperation on nature conservation, we can support the overall understanding, recognition and management of the magnificent nature values existing in this region. As a result of the Barents Protected Areas Network project, there will be comprehensive understanding of the level of nature conservation in the whole of the Barents Region. I believe this will provide useful information and will help to decrease the environmental impacts from the increasing pressure on natural resources in this region.

 

- We will continue the Barents Protected Areas Network project and at the end of our chairmanship we will present the results of the BPAN project. As a contribution to the outcomes of the Nagoya Biodiversity Conference, we plan to present the project results at the next Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2014. In addition, we will continue developing and enhancing the concept of the Green Belt of Fennoscandia, and we will encourage the launching of other similar networks.

 

- In the field of climate change, we see a need for enhanced understanding of the consequences of the climate change on the economy. In Finland we are developing regional climate change strategies, and such a cross-sectoral regional process to tackle climate change could be promoted elsewhere. In climate issues we look for the commitment and support of the other bodies of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council – the Committee on Senior Officials and relevant working groups, as well as the Regional Council.

 

- In the field of water resources cooperation, there is a long tradition of working together on transboundary waters in the region. We will continue to enhance the exchange of information and sharing of experiences on management of transboundary waters and we will link the climate change aspect to water resources management.

 

- In order to enhance the effectiveness of our work we need to continue cooperationg with other fora. The Arctic Council's Arctic Change Assessment process will produce an important new and comprehensive view of environmental challenges in the Arctic and also in the Barents Region. (As we have heard here today, the) Cooperation with the Arctic Contaminants Action Programme has already brought results. It is important that we disseminate information on the results of this cooperation both in the Barents Region and outside. In addition, the EU-Russia environmental dialogue is an important avenue for increasing communication efforts.

 

Madam Chair,

 

- On Finnish behalf, I am grateful for your confidence to trust Finland with teh chairmanship of the Working Group on Environment for the years 2012-2013. I would like to thank Sweden for your excellent work during the Swedish chairmanship. In addition, I would like to thank all for active and constructive cooperation. It will be a pleasure to continue this work in the good atmosphere that prevails within the Barents environmental cooperation.

 

- Finland is committed to continuing the main lines of environmental cooperation and to keeping the Working Group on Environment one of the most important and active bodies of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council.