“The EU looks more and more to the north with a strong focus on the EU Arctic strategy. The High North has thus become an important region in Europe, and it will be important for us to be active where the decisions are made on the future of Europe,” says Trond Haukanes.
In the beginning of December he will start in his new job in Brussels and look forward to be part of the experienced team at the North-Norway European office. Haukanes says that the office consists of a small group of skilled staff which will make his new job far easier.
“We have a lot of export industry in the northern parts of Norway and it will be one of my key focus areas to continue the good work in promoting these companies in Europe,” says Trond Haukanes to BarentsObserver.
The North-Norway European Office is a cooperation between the three northernmost counties of Norway, Finnmark, Nordland and Troms. Its main objective is to promote the northernmost part of the non-EU member state Norway in Europe, and to be a link between Europe and the north.
Haukanes has for the last two decades been working with industrial development in eastern Finnmark through Sør-Varanger Invest and Kimek ship yard. He was also a member of the High North panel which was appointed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2010 and finished their report this year. Haukanes belives that it will be interesting years in the European capital. Even though he represents a region in the far north with a small population, he has no fear of being set aside or forgotten.
Recently the universities in northern Norway joined as partners to the North Norway European Office and Haukanes see this as an important step to strengthen the importance of the office.
“However, we must constantly continue to maintain and develop a good dialogue between our office and all companies and organizations which can make use of our office.
Trond Haukanes will replace Åsunn Lyngedal as head of the offfice. She has decided to move back to Norway after two years at the Brussels office. The County Governor of Finnmark, Runar Sjåstad, is the current board leader of the Brussels office. He believe Haukanes with his experience will be an important man to promote the interest of the north, and to be an effectiv link between Brussels and North-Norway.
However, the town of Brussels is new to Trond Haukanes. He has just passed through the city once, and before that his last visit to Belgium was as a sailer when his ship harboured in Antwerpen in the 70ties.
