Skip to main content
Fachgebiete
Automobil + Motoren Bauwesen + Immobilien Business IT + Informatik Elektrotechnik + Elektronik Energie + Nachhaltigkeit Finance + Banking Management + Führung Marketing + Vertrieb Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe Versicherung + Risiko
DE
EN
Bücher
Zeitschriften
Themenseiten
Organisationspsychologie Projektmanagement Marketing Smart Manufacturing
Weitere Formate
Podcasts Webinare Technik Webinare Wirtschaft Kongresse Veranstaltungskalender Awards
Jetzt Einzelzugang starten
Zugang für Unternehmen
Referenzkunden
SLX-Digitalkonferenz: Zukunftswerkstatt 2024

Mehr Umsatz mit Top-Kontakten

Am 7. Mai erfahren Sie, wie Vertriebsteams Leadgenerierung, Leadnurturing und Leadstrategien effizient steuern können.
Erweiterte Suche
Anmelden
nach oben
Erschienen in:
The Nordic Region (NORDEN) – History and the Present Kapitel lesen Erstes Kapitel lesen

2017 | OriginalPaper | Buchkapitel

11. The Importance of the High North for the Nordic Countries

verfasst von : Ryszard M. Czarny

Erschienen in: A Modern Nordic Saga : Politics, Economy and Society

Verlag: Springer International Publishing

Einloggen

Aktivieren Sie unsere intelligente Suche, um passende Fachinhalte oder Patente zu finden.

search-config
loading …

Abstract

The complexity of interactions between all the actors in the High North has a decisive influence on the region’s geopolitics. Great interest and substantial engagement of the countries of Norden in the High North are only natural. It appears that the Nordic states, due to their rich experience and competencies, are particularly equipped to play a leading role in research on and knowledge about development in this part of the world. Therefore, the objectives specified in their respective policies towards the High North are of key importance.

Sie haben noch keine Lizenz? Dann Informieren Sie sich jetzt über unsere Produkte:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 102.000 Bücher
  • über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Automobil + Motoren
  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
  • Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
  • Finance + Banking
  • Management + Führung
  • Marketing + Vertrieb
  • Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
  • Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

Jetzt informieren

Springer Professional "Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 67.000 Bücher
  • über 390 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Automobil + Motoren
  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
  • Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
  • Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe




 

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

Jetzt informieren

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 67.000 Bücher
  • über 340 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Finance + Banking
  • Management + Führung
  • Marketing + Vertrieb
  • Versicherung + Risiko




Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

Jetzt informieren
Vorheriges Kapitel Norden Locally and Internationally
Nächstes Kapitel The “Export Products” of North European Countries
Fußnoten
1
More on the subject in: R. M. Czarny, The Imperative High North: Opportunities and Challenges.
 
2
It should be remembered that the most territory classified as the High North in Europe lies within the borders of the Kingdom of Norway; see: http://​www.​regjeringen.​no/​nb/​dep/​ud.
 
3
The island is of geostrategic importance. In 1979, Greenland gained autonomy within Denmark and in 2009 the extensive home-rule powers of an independent state (with the exception of foreign affairs, security and financial policy).
 
4
Opponents of such reasoning bring the examples of some Arab states from the period preceding the oil boom, which at the time also used to be weak, sparsely populated and had practically no arable land.
 
5
It should be stressed that this question remains open in academia due to the fundamental issue of what is going to happen next in terms of climate changes. See: Greenland’s mineral rush could lead to independence, EurAcitiv, http://​www.​euractiv.​com/​specialreport-rawmaterials/​expert-foreign-interest-greenlan-news-514011.
 
6
Should it happen, Denmark without a territory in the Arctic would be obliged to leave the Arctic Council and Greenland would take its place there.
 
7
Since 1985, Greenland and the European Community managed to strengthen the ties through the Greenland Treaty which took on a more meaningful shape in 2006. The signed partnership is based on “a close relationship between the parties due to the historical, political, economic and cultural ties between them.” The agreement provides for a continued financial assistance from the European Union (38 M euro in 2008) to be used for the development of various sectors in Greenland: scientific research, education, industry, and fisheries. In exchange, the EU obtained an increase in its fishing rights over the island’s territorial waters.
 
8
The Scottish oil producer Cairn Energy announced in September 2010 it had found significant oil and gas reserves in waters off the coast of Greenland. The assessment carried out by U.S. Geological Survey indicates that northeastern Greenland may be a very important future petroleum-rich region. The projected oil and gas reserves rank the northeastern Greenland 19th out of the world’s 500 known petroleum provinces. It is estimated that some 31 billion barrels of oil and gas can be found off the coast of Northeast Greenland and ca. 17 billion barrels of oil and gas in the western part of the island. In addition, Greenland is also rich in mineral deposits, including zinc, copper, nickel, gold, diamonds and platinum. Moreover, it has substantial deposits of so-called critical metals, including the rare-earth elements which are important components of high-end technology, including green energy technologies. See: D. L. Gautier, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California, Oil and Gas Resources of Northeast Greenland.
 
9
The chair of the AC rotates among member states every two years. So far the following countries presided the Council: Canada (the Council’s inaugural meetings in Iqaluit in 1998), the United States of America, Finland, Iceland, Russia, Norway, Denmark: 2009–2011, and Sweden: 2011–2013.
 
10
It was agreed upon then that achieving the main goals for the Arctic took more than two years during which the presidency is held. Therefore, three Nordic countries, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, decided to ensure the continuity of the work of the Arctic Council among others through identifying a common set of priorities for three successive chairmanships; more on the subject at: http://​www.​arctic-council.​org/​index.​php/​en/​about-us.
 
12
It was reiterated by the Danish paper Dagbladet Information on October 30, 2012.
 
13
The document treats on the growing importance of the Arctic for Denmark’s defenses. Danish vessels want to have access to diesel fuel and other supplies at the U.S. base in Thule, located in north-western Greenland, which would enable them to sail further to the north.
 
14
Provisions allowing for further oil exploration activities in Greenland are also included in the strategy. The interested companies ought to comply with essential environmental protection standards as set or legislated by the autonomous government of Greenland which will be offering additional licenses for prospecting and exploration of oil and gas in after 2012.
 
15
See: Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands: Kingdom of Denmark Strategy for the Arctic 2011–2020, Copenhagen 2011.
 
16
D. Degeorges, a specialist in Greenland’s issues, claims that the strategic territory, four times bigger than France, populated by some 57,000 people, and located in the very heart of the Arctic will attract those who have money; after: Grenlandia: arktyczne oko Europy zamyka się. Those who understand the interests of the explorers and international companies, mostly North-American ones, as regards the energy potential of that region, have no doubt that Greenland will somehow free itself from the historical links with the Old Continent.
 
17
Regrettably, it neither gained this status in Nuuk or at the latest meeting of the Arctic Council in Kiruna.
 
18
It is a great chance for the Finnish technological applications and innovations. Finland possesses diversified Arctic expertise and Arctic knowledge.
 
19
Finland is, for example, a producer of the best wind turbines operating in cold climate temperatures.
 
20
Hence come huge investments in education, training and research allowing educating future employees, and research and evaluation of changes in the Arctic region. See: Finland’s Strategy for the Arctic Region, pp. 18–23.
 
21
See: S. Wallin, the Finnish Minister for Nordic Cooperation, Finland Promotes Nordic Policy of Environmental Protection, p. 21.
 
22
The Republic of Iceland is located in its entirety on the island bearing the same name in the North Atlantic, 800 km from Scotland and 287 km from Greenland, 970 km from Norway and 420 km from the Faroe Islands. It covers the territory of 103 thousand km2 and is populated by 318 thousand people. Reykjavik is its main city, the capital and an administrative center; it is inhabited by 184 thousand people, http://​www.​islandia.​org.​pl/​dane.​html.
 
23
See: The Ilulissat Declaration, Arctic Ocean Conference, Ilulissat.
 
24
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in order to show the U.S. interest in the cooperation with the European countries in the exploitation of Arctic natural resources, made also a trip (June 2, 2012) to the Norwegian city of Tromsø, located above the Arctic Circle, where since the beginning of 2012 the Permanent Arctic Council Secretariat has had its headquarters.
 
25
As commonly known, the European Union had applied for permanent observer status in the Arctic Council which once again was denied at the ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council in Kiruna in May, 2013. EU efforts are hampered by the fact that there are two member states which already belong to the Council: Sweden and Finland. Moreover, Denmark is a member of the EU in some cases acting on behalf of Greenland.
 
26
The U.S. interest in Iceland grew much weaker after the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Keflavik air base in Iceland in 2006.
 
27
Translated by R. M. Czarny. In the original: “Atter om islendingenes arktiske storhetsdrømmer. Situasjonen er dessverre slik at Islands stemme alene ikke gjør nevneverdig inntrykk i Arktisk råd. Andre medlemmer av rådet kan enkelt boikotte Island – som de faktisk allerede har gjort da de “glemte” å invitere Island til forberedelsemøtet i rådet. Saken er at hvis Grønlands og Norges interesser sammenfaller, og de står mot Islands interesser, vil de to statene stå side ved side mot Island. Vi har lang erfaring med nordmenns uforsonlighet og manglende fleksibilitet i slike saker. Hvem er det da som skal forsvare Islands interesser? EU-landene Danmark, Sverige og Finland? Er det ikke fare for at de tar Grønlands parti på grunn av Grønlands posisjon i forhold til EU-landet Danmark?” Quoted after: E. Helgason, Nordpolen, Island og EU.
 
28
For the full text go to: A Parliamentary Resolution on Iceland’s Arctic Policy (Approved by Althingi at the 139th legislative session March 28 2011 ).
 
29
See: Aftenposten.
 
30
Longer borderlines, currently reaching nearly 106 thousand km, are the effect of the newest measurements done through satellite technology. The length of the land borderline remains the same and equals more than 2500 km. Norway’s total coastline is 103,000 kilometers, compared to the former official figure of 85,000 kilometers.
 
31
According to the newest measurements, the Norwegian coastline is two and a half times longer than the perimeter of the globe which at the Equator measures 40,000 kilometers. Canada is a record holder in this respect, with its 244,000-kilometer-long coastline. Data after: M. Haykowski, Norwegia – dłuższe granice.
 
32
The high level of exploitation has recently led to a decrease in the extraction capabilities. The situation is so serious that without the development of new fields Norway may soon be forced to limit considerably its energy production.
 
33
The Management Plan for Northern Areas, prepared by an international working group, was presented in the Storting on March 31, 2006.
 
34
All of these requirements should substantially improve the maritime transport safety as well as safeguard the environment against oil spills.
 
35
This sparked a heated debate on the prospect of eventual offshore exploitation of hydrocarbons in the Lofoten Islands region.
 
36
In Murmansk, on September 15, 2010, Foreign Ministers of Russia and Norway signed the treaty on maritime delimitation and cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean. Signing of the agreement ended a 40-year- old territorial dispute between the two countries at the same time reducing tension in the region and opening the way for development of the potential natural resources; see: http://​www.​osw.​waw.​pl/​pl/​publikacje/​analizy/​2010-09-22/​rosja-i-norwegia-ustalily-granice-morska.
 
37
Peter Sköld, professor at Umeå University (Sweden), works at the Centre for Saami Research.
 
38
On November 8, 2004, Arctic Climate Impact Assessment was published. It was developed by an international group of 300 scientists and experts. The key conclusion of the document predicts Arctic’s warming to happen twice as fast as the other region of the globe; compare: Climate Change 2007 – The Physical Science Basis.
 
39
In the original: “Gå inte oljebaronernas ärenden, Carl Bildt.”
 
40
As mentioned in the statement of Åsa Romson, spokesperson for the Green Party, and Isabella Lövin, Member of the European Parliament (MEP); quoted after: E. Franchell, En region under isen, analysnorden.
 
41
See: R. M. Czarny, Szwecja w Unii Europejskiej. Studium polityczno – prawne, pp. 17–71.
 
42
In the strategy, the region in question is sometimes referred to as the Arctic region, sometimes as the Arctic and sometimes as the Arctic area. In describing the Nordic countries’ part of the Arctic (including in the context of regional cooperation with Russia), the term High North is sometimes used as well.
 
Literatur
Czarny, R. M. (2002). Szwecja w Unii Europejskiej. Studium polityczno-prawne. Kielce: Wyższa Szkoła Ubezpieczeń.
Czarny, R. M. (2009). Dylematy energetyczne państw regionu nordyckiego. Kielce: Scandinavium.
Czarny, R. M. (2013). The imperative high north: Opportunities and challenges. Trnava: Michal Vaško – Vydavatel’stvo.
Czarny, R. S. (2015). American track record in the arctic: An overview until 2015. In M. Tomala & M. Łuszczuk (Eds.), The north in the world of economy and politics. Kielce: Uniwersytet Jana Kochanowskiego.
Finland’s Strategy for the Arctic Region. (2010). Helsinki: Prime Minister’s Office Publications.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2007). Climate change 2007: The physical science basis. Geneva: IPCC.CrossRef
Kubiak, K. (2012). Interesy i spory państw w Arktyce w pierwszych dekadach XXI wieku. Warszawa: Wydaw. TRIO.
Kubiak, K. (2015). Wojna w Arktyce. Mit czy realne zagrożenie. In M. Tomala & M. Łuszczuk (Eds.), The north in the world of economy and politics. Kielce: Uniwersytet Jana Kochanowskiego.
New building blocks in the North. The next step in the Government’s high north strategy. Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oslo 2009.
NOK 6 million to petroleum technology assessment project for the Arctic. (2012, January 26). Press release.
Norway. The high north visions and strategies. MFA, Oslo 2011.
Sweden’s strategy for the Arctic region, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Stockholm 2011
The Norwegian Government’s High North Strategy, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oslo 2006.
Wallin, S. (2008). Finland promotes Nordic policy of environmental protection (Highlights of the international polar year 2007–2008). Kobenhaven: Nordic Council of Ministers.
Wrońska, I. (2015). Canada’s north major players. In M. Tomala & M. Łuszczuk (Eds.), The north in the world of economy and politics. Kielce: Uniwersytet Jana Kochanowskiego.
Metadaten
Titel
The Importance of the High North for the Nordic Countries
verfasst von
Ryszard M. Czarny
Copyright-Jahr
2017
Buch
A Modern Nordic Saga : Politics, Economy and Society

Print ISBN: 978-3-319-42362-3

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-319-42363-0

Copyright-Jahr: 2017

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42363-0_11