The EU mission in the Norwegian North
The European Unions interest in High North issues is on the increase, EU ambassador to Norway, Percy Westerlund writes in a newspaper comment. He believes cooperation on foreign policy and security issues in the High North is a special dimension in Norways relations with union.
In a comment in the Aftenposten newspaper last week, Mr. Westerlund writes that “the EU’s interest in the High North is said to be on the increase – much thanks to efforts made by the Norwegian government”. The EU ambassador at the same time maintains that more need to be done to raise the importance of the region in the union.
The EU representative also highlights cooperation on foreign policy and security issues in the High North as a specially important dimension in Norway’s relations with the EU.
-In the first row comes the High North where Norway needs to tackle the increasingly complicated foreign policy challenges, among them border disputes and potential military tension, as well as environmentally dangerous transport, climate changes and threats against fish stocks, Ambassador Westerlund writes.
Norway remains a non-member of the EU, but is still closely integrated in the union through its EEA agreement. –The Norwegian attachment with the EU has an extension and intensity which makes it possible to see Norway as a virtual member of the union, Mr. Westerlund writes in his article.
In a few weeks, EU Commission president Jose Manuel Barrose will visit Oslo as the first ever commission president.
