Strong, specific and promising - NSPA publish report as basis for joint position for the future of the region
The report Northern Sparsely Populated Areas Foresight 2020, produced by Nordregio and commissioned by the NSPA network, has now been published. The dialogue continues in the region to create a joint position using the report as a basis.
The report Northern Sparsely Populated Areas Foresight 2020, produced by Nordregio and commissioned by the NSPA network, has now been published. It consists of three reports. All are part of a continued effort to promote an enhanced understanding of the northernmost parts of Europe. The emphasis is put on the opportunities and initiatives allowing the NSPA regions to assert themselves as active partners contributing to the achievement of the Lisbon and Gothenburg objectives of economic growth and sustainable development.
To download the reports click on the links below
For further background
- Policy road map for the NSPA - Future development and positioning of NSPA
- Analytical report - Development opportunities for the NSPA: Opportunities and challenges - The first part, a descriptive basis for future discussion
Dialogue in the NSPA region
Over 40 representatives from the three countries met in Haparanda at the end of August to discuss the contents of the report, how it will be communicated and the continued NSPA cooperation both in Brussels and in the region.
During the autumn a steering group (5 politicians and 5 officials from the three countries) will continue on creating a political position, using the report as a basis. This political position will look at what EU-policies are required to stimulate growth in the region.
Work will focus around four themes:
- Fully exploiting NSPA recourses
- Managing demographic trends
- The economic focus of the NSPA: Knowledge economy/manufacturing industries
- Infrastructure strategies for the NSPA: Intra-regional coherence and global connections
On the 15th December 2009 an NSPA Forum of regional policymakers and representatives from the three countries will be held in Kiruna to adopt the political position. The position document will be published in January 2010.
The report will also be presented at the Swedish EU Presidency's Regional policy and territorial cohesion meeting in Kiruna on 10/11 December and at the CoR Coter Conference (www.coter.se) on the 14th December.