- Kirkenes, as the capital of the Barents cooperation, is an ideal location for the conference. The Barents cooperation is unique and is looked upon as a “best practice” area in Europe, says Rune Bakkevold, one of the organizers of the conference to BarentsObserver.
Bakkevold is Special Advisor at North Norway European Office in Brussels. The NEEBOR conference in Kirkenes in February is a co-arranged with the Norwegian Barents Secretariat.
- There is a great interest, both in the NEEBOR network and in different EU institution, to learn more about the Barents region and the cross border cooperation. The Barents region has over the last few years attracted more and more interest because it is looked upon as a recourse base for the whole of Europe, says Rune Bakkevold.
The main objective of the network is to increase the awareness of EU institutions, member states, regions and local authorities and civil organizations on both sides of the borders of the weaknesses and strengths of the cross-border region. NEEBOR will serve as a platform for open dialogue and coordination of joint actions and initiatives in order to promote the exchange of good practices and enhance cooperation and synergy in the regions. The network also has great interest in cross-border cooperation programmes and cross-border policy development.
- Even though there are very different regions in the Neebor network, from North Norway all the way down to Greece and Cyprus in the south, many of the opportunities and challenges are the same, according to Bakkevold. He says well known problems concerning border crossings and custom halts the development business and people to people contact. It is therefore very important that the European border regions work together in shaping both EU and national policies in a way that can create better cross border cooperation. Both in the Barents and other regions, cross border cooperation programmes and other funding are very important to create growth and cooperation.
The role of the Norwegian Barents secretariat as a motor for cooperation in the Barents region is very interesting for the NEEBOR members. The same goes for the new rile for the secretariat as programme coordinator for EEA Grants cross border programmes.
