Foreign Minister Soini chairs the Barents Euro-Arctic Council meeting in Oulu

The XV Session of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) will be organised in Oulu on 14–15 October. The BEAC member countries and the Barents Regional Council as well as their central stakeholders will be represented at the meeting. The meeting will be chaired by Foreign Minister Timo Soini. The agenda of the meeting will focus on reviewing the BEAC's achievements and its future activities. A joint Communiqué will also be adopted. In the Oulu meeting, the BEAC Chairmanship will be transferred from Finland to the Russian Federation.

During its two-year Chairmanship, Finland has prioritised economic cooperation, including transport and logistics, the environment and climate change and youth. A report was prepared on cross-border transport corridors and the required investment needs. Efforts have been continued aiming to reduce the number of environmental hot spots, and the Action Plan on Climate Change for the Barents Cooperation has proceeded to its implementation phase.  The Barents Forest Sector Network (BFSN), which is a subgroup of the Working Group on Economic Cooperation in the Barents Region, has been active during the Finnish Chairmanship.  In addition, indigenous peoples' opportunities for participation in Barents cooperation have been improved, and a comprehensive report has been prepared on Barents project financing.

The BEAC was founded 22 years ago. Its membership includes the Nordic countries, Russia and the EU. The BEAC aims to promote stability and sustainable development and to increase security in the Cap of the North and the north-western regions of Russia.

Additional information: Marja-Leena Vuorenpää, Barents Ambassador, tel. +358 295 351475

Live broadcast (15 October beginning at 9:30): https://livestream.com/sahaprod/BEAC/

International Barents Secretariat: www.beac.st

Ministry for Foreign Affairs:  www.formin.finland.fi/beac