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THE NORTHERN DIMENSION

HANNU HARJU
Speech in the 13th of November 1999 in Helsinki

The October Revolution that arose in 1917 in Russia brought about a change movement in the world, which has been the most remarkable event for humanity.

The newborn socialistic social system gave the working people hope and belief that it was possible to build a society that is free of exploitation.

The young society was target of internal and external attacks from the beginning. The Russian territory was also invaded by Finland, who tried by means of invasion of the area to occupy forest and mineral resources.

After these happenings it didn't take a long time when Soviet Union was attacked by the German army, lead by Hitler, when the Germans begun invasion of Soviet Union in 1941.

The great sacrifices of Russia and the other Soviet people determined the final outcome of the war when the German fascism was crushed.

After the war Soviet Union was the support for peace, the support for the working people of the world and for the people fighting for freedom under colonialistic power.

When the forces supporting capitalism rose to the leading positions in Soviet Union that was the end of the support of Soviet Union to the working people and to the liberation movements. The threshold of wars to begin lowered, too.

The imperialistic circle acted so that Europe entered, from the period of cold war that was maintained by it, an increasing military arming and strengthening of the military union NATO. For example Poland and Hungary has joined the military union.

The advantages of capital-owners were begun to build up in Europe and outside, by making European Community an organisation that will be developed to the union of the states. The Maastricht treaty took effect on the 1st of November in 1993, and with it the EC was revised to European Union.

In Soviet Union the new leaders were seeking support for their policy from the world's leading capitalistic countries.

A new opening was made in the foreign policy. The concept of the Northern dimension, which has became a policy of EU, had got a sign for its launch in the speech of Chief Secretary of the Communistic Party of Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, in October 1987 in Murmansk.

The speech included many proposals which would change everything if only they became into action. Canada would have the leading role when the relations between the Arctic nations that have the same kind of interests will be worked up, declared Gorbachev.

Ten years later, in 1997, the foreign affairs committee of the parliament of Russia booked as its view: "The end of the cold war and the dramatic change of political and economical landscape has brought the Barents and the Arctic regions into a key position, where they have an great effect on success and stability of the new Europe and on the important relationship of Russia – USA.".

This resolution of the foreign affairs committee alone tells that the present leadership has made commitments that aim to enforce its position and the development of capitalism in Russia.

The changes in social and foreign policy from the times of Soviet Union to the present time Russia era are great.

That is clearly described in the treaty of partnership and cooperation, established by Russia in the1st of December 1997, between European Communities, its member countries and the Federation of Russia. The strategy about Russia is acknowledged jointly in the treaty.

The treaty of partnership and cooperation includes the acts by which Russia is changed for its every part, so that the future of Russia is the essential part of the future of Europe, and so that it has got a strategic meaning for European Union.

The stances of the member states of EU follow this strategy on every forum.

By this treaty European Union sets Russia the conditions for action.

European Union contracts to cooperate with Russia, both in the union level and in the regional and local levels, so as to support the successful political and economical change in Russia.

There are four sections regarding the main goals in the treaty of cooperation and partnership between EU and Russia.

Some parts of these four sections are in the following.

Section 1.
Strengthening of democracy, the principle of judicial state and public institutions in Russia. - European Union wants especially support the democratic principles of executive, legislative and law application organs. The institutions essential for economical operation are the second part of this goal. In the treaty it is regarded essential for the future of the federation to change and develop the relations between central administration and local administration.

Section 2.
The integration of Russia in common European economical and social region.

- In first phase, functional market economy has to be developed.

- Naturally Russia has to carry out the main effort in the frame of the comprehensive and enduring economic platform approved of by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

- The central factor in the development of Russia is to make national and international investing attractive.

Section 3.
Cooperation for enforcement of stability and security in Europe and outside it.
- Russia and European Union have got strategic interests and special duties for keeping Europe and the other parts of the world stabile and secure.
- The union takes Russia as an important partner in reaching this goal.

European Union suggests that strategic partnership will be developed in the frames of constant dialogue about politics and security.

Section 4.
Common challenges.
In this section the following aspects are mentioned: making the relations between union and Russia deeper, the development of exchange, and the mutual interdependence in many areas.
- The security of nuclear power is considered very important question, and environment is stated to be common property for the people of Russia and European Union.
- It is stated that it is in the common interest of European Union and Russia to develop their energy policy so that use, management and the safety of delivery of energy supplies are bettered in Russia and in Europe.

The European Council advises the council to make sure of that each forthcoming president state will present to the council, in the frame of its general platform, the working scheme concerning realization of this common strategy.

The treaty of cooperation and partnership between European Union and Russia is very minute platform for action. It is used to support political and economical change in federal state and in regional and local levels in Russia.

- The treaty includes educational program for the leadership of Russia, as well as the exchange programs for young students and researchers.

- The treaty includes support for education given to officers who guardian justice and law, especially in questions of intelligence action and intervention techniques.

- The treaty includes support for Russia promised by community in order that the country would as soon as possible meet the requirements set for joining the world trade organisation WTO.

- The treaty includes the position of Russia in the new security architecture.

The content of the treaty is very detail. Only some of its aspects were presented here.

We can perhaps say, that ink on the treaty signed by European Union and Russia was not yet dried, when up came the proposal that was presented in the section four among the main goals of treaty.

The European Council, the summit of the heads of the EU-states, that was gathered in Luxemburg in the 12th – 13th of December in 1997, declared that Finland has made a proposal of the Northern dimension of the union policy and asked commission to present the intermediate report of the case for the European Council that would be gathered in 1998.

The United States of America declared by the same time its new Northern European policy, which will aim to integrate Russia in political, economical and other international areas of cooperation. In its policy USA outlines the Baltic and the Nordic countries as territorial unity.

In Russia the initiative was not so much reacted in the first phase. Only the initiative, made by Boris Yeltsin, of building "the area of stability and security" into the Northern Europe was under discussion.

The EU summit in Vienna in December 1998 got to discuss the mid report made by commission. The Northern dimension had became policy of EU.

In the organs of EU it has been emphasized that the initiative of Finland is important when it is operated in the Northern Russia. It is plausible for the part of EU that it was Finland who made the initiative of the Northern dimension. Sure gave Finland's membership in EU at the beginning of 1995 as much as 1300 kilometers common line of contact between EU and Russia.

The essential content of Finland's proposal is to get the energy and mineral resources in the Barents and in North Western Russia into the reach of EU.

Getting benefit out of the Northern and the Arctic regions was presented as an idea by Prime Minister of Canada, Brian Mulnorey, when he proposed the idea about the broad council of the Arctic countries in November 1989 in Leningrad.

In April 1992 Prime Minister of Norway, Thorvald Stoltenberg, put forward an initiative of multilateral cooperation in the Barents region. Norway discussed the initiative with Russia and the Nordic countries.

Stoltenberg had far-reaching visions of how to create peace, stability and prosperity by building in the scale of the whole Europe an area of cooperation, which would work as a model that would do all way from the Baltic to the Balkan, and which would cross the old segregation line on the continent.

The initiative was made in purpose to soften the lukewarm inhabitants of Northern Norway so as to make them to comply to Norway's EU membership. That didn't work out, but the initiative stayed alive.

The activity of Norway in the north made also Finland active. The interest in the northern areas began to rise gradually in Finland.

That was visible in the cooperation in the Barents region and in the local area cooperation with Russia.

Finland's objectives were presented in the platform concerning Finland's national arctic action, set by the polar conference of the ministry of commercial and industrial policy. The platform guided action especially to the arctic regions of Russia and to the Barents region.

In the objectives of Finland emphasis was put on economical cooperation, on the development of education and research, and on the inclusion of the estimating of environmental effects to the economical projects.

In connection with the project of the Northern dimension the extending of the research of the northern and arctic regions is seen in many quarters of EU as essential.

The Nordic council have got a five-years research program that amounts to 30 million Danish crowns.

In Finland arctic research is quite broad already. The deepening of just the research concerning eternal frost is seen as necessary; the planned oil and gas production happens to take place mostly in the eternal frost areas.

The important field of research, considering oil and gas transportation, is also the research of the arctic sea technology.

The research of arctic windmill technology is considered as a new branch of development. Technology which solves the problems of freezing and problems caused by the barrels made by ice in the sea, is needed in the northern sea areas. Arctic medicine that studies health and diseases of the population in the arctic regions, and related risk factors, is raising as one of the emphasised areas in the branch in Finland.

History and juridical questions concerning the Sami people are central national issues in research. It is also proposed that especially Finland has got a special and busy duty to take care of the research of language, culture and living conditions of the native people in the northern areas of Russia. The Northern dimension is not geographically exactly framed area. Functionally it reaches the northern areas of Europe, North Western Russia and the Baltic area. Transatlantic cooperation brings Canada and USA within it.

Earlier mainly USA and Russia operated in the northern areas. European Union penetrates this area, strategic in its natural resources, with the Northern dimension.

The EU policy of the Northern dimension supports the expansion of EU to the Baltic area and at the same time it prepares the membership-seeking countries for the membership of the union.

European Union is on the basis of Europe-pacts in dialog concerning the Northern dimension with the Baltic countries and with Poland, with Russia the dialog goes in the frames of the treaty of partnership and cooperation, with Norway and Iceland it goes in the frames of the treaty of European economic region.

Cooperation concerning the Northern dimension is developed also at the three already existing councils.

The Northern dimension is present at the Barents area council, the members of which are Norway, Sweden, Russia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuanian, Iceland and the commission of Europe.

The Barents Euro-arctic council was founded in Kirkenes in 1993 to advance the Northern dimension. It consists of Finland, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Denmark, Iceland and the commission of Europe. As permanent observers are the Great Britain, France, Germany, Poland, Japan, USA, Canada, Netherlands and Italy. The commission of EU is the founder member of the Barents Euro-arctic council.

In addition to these two organs there is also the Arctic council, which was founded in 1996. The members are the USA, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. The permanent participators Inuit Circumpolar Conference, which represents the Inuit, Same council, and AIPON, which is organization of the small native people of the north, participate on another level.

In Northern Europe, as the region is referred to in the Northern dimension, great amounts of natural resources exists out of use. The big deposits of oil and gas are in the future more important than ever, in view of the securing of the energy supplies of Europe.

In the matter of oil resources, the richest country in the northern area is Russia. The biggest oil production areas are situated in the western Siberia and in Volga-Ural area.
In North Western Russia oil has been found mainly from the oil and gas area of Timan-Petshora. The usable oil resources in Timan-Petshora area are estimated to be approximately 1400 million tons. The amount equals with the oil resources of Algeria.

Oil production in the area has been about two percent of the total oil production in Russia. There is potential chance to increase the production.

Already many foreign oil companies are operating in Timan-Petshora area, for example Conoco, Statoil, Norsk Hydro and Fortum.

The increasing of oil production is dependent remarkable on the development of transportation infrastructure.

The opportunities to transport oil from the region via St Petersburg, and the Northern Gateway-plan of transporting the oil immediately with tankers from the Nort-West of Russia, have been under consideration.

An another partly not researched oil area in North Western Russia is the Barents. This far the trial borings have revealed mostly gas deposits.

The amount of gas production in Russia is more than 500 milliard cubic meters in year, which exceeds the amount needed in entire EU nowadays.

More than 60 percent of the gas export of Russia is directed to Western Europe. The most important customers are Germany, Italy and France.

To increase import of gas from Russia requires that a new gas pipe will be built to Central Europe.

The gas companies in Finland, Sweden and Denmark have carried through an investigation of the connecting of gas webs to the webs which transport gas from Norway and Russia to Central Europe and to the webs and gas stock areas in the Baltic countries. The investigation was financially supported by the commission of EU.

North Transgas, owned by the Finnish Fortum Ltd and the biggest company in Russia, RAO Gazprom, investigated for its part the building of a new transportation connection for Russian gas through the Baltic or through Finland and Sweden to Central Europe. For the time being the plan has been declared as secret.

Consumption of gas is expected to increase in EU region so that in year 2010 about 60 – 70 % of the gas will be imported from outside the area. For that reason, considering energy policy, getting the gas from Russia is very important to European Union.

The Northern dimension brings also into focus the development of electricity transportation network in the Baltic countries and in North Western Russia, and the process of connecting that network to the European electricity transportation network.

Russia has got great overcapacity in almost all areas of the unified electricity system. North Western Russia is for the most part dependent of the production capacity of the Kuola and St Petersburg areas.

Russia actively aims at the moment at getting currency income by seeking to sell electricity produced in Russia to Nordic countries and to Central Europe.

Seven percent of the consumption of electricity in Finland is transported from Russia.

It has not yet been said much about agriculture, forestry economy or fishing industry in the context of the Northern dimension. It only has been written nicely, that management of the forests in the northern area will happen according the principles of durable development, which is to say that new possibilities for making use of forests are continuously under creation.

Surely will the use of forests have an important part in the policy of the Northern dimension.

The Northern dimension includes an issue about environmental protection and about nuclear security. The control of nuclear weapons ban and the surveillance of nuclear power plants, security arrangements and export of nuclear material are strongly emphasized.

The question is proposed to be discussed at the high level politics, together with G 7-countries. It is aimed at oblige Russia to improve the nuclear power plants which are classified as risky, and to close them altogether, earlier than planned. This concerns the plants of Sosnovyi Bor / RBMK type and Kuola / VVER 440-230 type.

To replace nuclear power plants with plants of another kind, and to investigate different energy forms and how to realize them, will require great investments and financing. The implementation of the plans would mean remarkable changes in electricity supply and production in North Western Russia.

In context of environmental protection EU has set as for its goal an active engagement in local protection, especially it aims to intensify environmental cooperation in the Baltic and in the Barents area.

EU aims with Russia at cooperation based to treaties.

In a key position regarding the use of the northern natural resources is the question of the existence of necessary traffic networks. The goal of EU is to connect the traffic networks in Russia to the all-European traffic networks.

The focus is at the development of Via Baltic, the traffic channel that goes through Vilna to Varzawa, and development of Helsinki-St Petersburg-Moscow way.

Another central focus is the development of traffic lines (ways, railways, sea traffic, ports) between the northern capital cities.

Traffic policy related to the Northern dimension was strongly presented in the EU traffic conference in Helsinki in summer 1997. It was decided in the conference to build Euro-arctic traffic area.

To develop economical activity in the region of Russia requires also development of telecommunication, the basic postal services and internet connections. EU has got plans for development of these activities.

European Union has decided to direct considerable resources to the region of the Northern dimension.

Financial support is given according to the platforms of the union, in the frames of the Phare-funding, to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuanian and Poland. The Phare is for supporting the countries applying membership of EU to further their membership along the plans.

Russia is supported financially according to the Tacis-platform.

In Russia and mostly in North Western Russia the Tacis and the Interreg platforms are already running. The Interreg is platform for structural fund.

In its aim to develop the Northern dimension, the aim of EU is to direct through the TACIS and the PHARE platforms, and through the structural fund platforms, considerable amounts of funds to the northern regions of EU and to the surrounding regions. In addition to the cooperative platforms, the projects are supported also with the Nordic platforms and by the confidential platforms of the member countries.

Also considerable amounts of financial flow is directed to the Baltic countries and to Russia by the European Investment Bank and by the OECD's platform for the Baltic area, by international financial institutions like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Nordic Investment Bank.

The realization of projects related to the Northern dimension is tied to the process of social change in Russia.

The rooting of bourgeois democracy, private ownership, capitalistic employment policy and relations in working life to Russia is carried through in many ways.

Change in Russia is supported among other things by development of exchange in cultural, student and youth branches. In connection with sport activities these are considered to strengthen the base of common values.

However, the lawmaker of Russia and Russian people are situated at the crucial position. Will the capitalization of society, impoverishing the majority of Russian people, continue, or at what pace will it continue?

Surely the results of the election of Duma in December will tell about that for its own part.

European Union is concerned about the fate of the Northern dimension.

How to break through properly with a view of both-sided benefit? If the Northern dimension is associated with colonialistic dimension, the damage is hard to repeare.

Great changes have taken place in Northern Europe and in the Baltic area in the post-Soviet Union period.

European Union expanded to the northern regions when Finland and Sweden joined it.

The Baltic countries and Poland are urging to get to EU and Poland have joined the military union NATO.

Finland and Sweden have established the treaty of peace-partnership with NATO. Norway already is the member country of NATO.

The Northern dimension project have increased military action in the northern region since the political decisions which extend Russian territory have begun to be warranted with the armament.

The war rehearsals in the name of peace-partnership with NATO have executed as Nordic so that military action would be better approved of.

European Union have got a common foreign and security policy. Also common defence is developed in the name of crisis management by building troops for crisis management.

These troops have been established in Finland, and the military education in national defence have been started to be given for the volunteers of at least 15 years' old.

The condition of peace is under threat here in the north.

The treaty of partnership and cooperation established between EU and Russia, and the project of the Northern dimension bring clearly up that Russia has ended up in the position of colony.

The people of the north and the working people of Russia have to live today right in face to face with the international capitalism.

There is no doubt about it, whether those same imperialistic powers which are acting nowadays in the north, and which bombed Yugoslavia, would be ready to get energy, gas and oil supplies from the northern areas with the force of arms.

Our task is to clear out the project of the Northern dimension to the citizens in different countries.

Our task is to bring the project of the Northern dimension out at peace organizations, so that they could be aware of the needed course of development.

An anti-imperialistic solidarity movement will be needed to support the working people in Russia against the colonial policy.

Together we have to follow the development of the northern area and register all military action.

We are not against the using of natural resources for the good of humanity.

We don't know all about the project of the Northern dimension, but we know that much, that we shall be opposed to it.

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