Finland takes final move to leave the Barents cooperation

Finland will withdraw from the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) after 2025, the government said Thursday, citing the evolving security situation in Europe.

“Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Barents cooperation was an effective channel for Finland to interact with others in the northern regions,” Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said in a statement. “However, this form of cooperation no longer meets today’s needs, and it creates overlapping structures.”The BEAC was set up in 1993.Made up of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the European Commission, it focused on promoting cooperation and stability in the northern regions of Europe.Future focus on northern cooperationValtonen said Finland will focus on other ways to cooperate in the North.“We want a stable and prosperous Nordic region,” Valtonen said. “Finland will continue to invest in this through other forms of cooperation.”A statement from Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country will still work closely with Sweden and Norway, and continue its involvement in other international groups like the Nordic Council of Ministers.The Finnish government will continue to work on a program to strengthen cooperation in northern Finland, which could include a shared plan with Norway and Sweden, the ministry said.As part of the withdrawal, Finland will also leave the agreement that set up the International Barents Secretariat.Finland’s president will make the final decision on the move on November 22.——————————This story is posted on the Barents Observer as part of Eye on the Arctic, a collaborative partnership between public and private circumpolar media organizations.