Environment

Working Group on Environment

The Barents Region is becoming a strategic region for Europe. Its natural resources and new transportation routes will change the global map on resource use and transportation. Barents Region is proud of its clean environment, large intact natural areas and unique indigenous culture in Europe. An important challenge, thus, for the prosperity of the region is to promote responsible, sustainable and environmentally sound economic activities.

The Working Group on Environment (WGE) covers a wide spectrum of issues and deals with both strong priorities of the Barents cooperation and major environmental challenges.

The work is therefore organized in subgroups and prioritized themes: Barents environmental Hot Spots, nature protection and water issues.

In addition, the Regional Working Group on Environment carries out cooperation projects between the Barents regions and works in close co-operation with the WGE and its subgroups.

WGE Chairmanship 2020-2023 is held by Finland. Finland aims to boost the transition into a carbon neutral circular economy and find means to reduce the use of black carbon.

Read more about the Finnish Chairmanship of the WGE in the Work Programme in English and Russian.

WGE Chairmanship 2018-2020 was held by Sweden.

Subgroups of the WGE

Hot Spots Exclusion (SHE)

Subgroup on Nature and Water (SNW)

Meetings and Events:

WGE#56 Video Meeting, June 2020
14th Meeting of Barents Environmental Ministers, Luleå, Sweden, 4-5 February 2020
WGE#55 Telephone Meeting, January 2020
WGE#54 Meeting, Stockholm, Sweden, November 2019
WGE#53 Meeting, Umeå, Sweden, September 2019
WGE#52 Meeting, Stora Sjöfallet, Sweden, March 2019
WGE#51 Meeting, Skellefteå, Sweden, November 2018
WGE#50 Meeting, Piteå, Sweden, May 2018
13th Meeting of Barents Environmental Ministers, Vadsø, Norway, 29-30 November 2017
WGE#49 Meeting, Oslo, November 2017
WGE#48 Meeting, Kjerringøy, Norway, September 2017
WGE#47 Meeting, Tromsø, Norway, February - March 2017
WGE#46 Meeting, St. Petersburg, Russia, September 2016
WGE#45 Meeting, Svanhovh, Norway, March 2016
12th meeting of Barents Environmental Ministers, Sortavala, Russia, 24-25 November 2015
WGE#44 Meeting, Syktyvkar, Russia, November 2015
WGE#43 Meeting, Naryan-Mar, Russia, June 2015
WGE#42 Meeting, Arkhangelsk, Russia, December 2014
WGE#41 Meeting, Petrozavodsk, Russia, April 2014
11th meeting of Barents Environmental Ministers, Inari, Finland, 4-5 December 2013