Cooperation in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region was launched in 1993 in two fora: intergovernmental Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) and interregional Barents Regional Council (BRC). The Barents cooperation has fostered a new sense of unity and closer contact among the people of the region which is an excellent basis for further progress. The overall objective of Barents cooperation has been sustainable development in all the different fields of cooperation.
The Barents Euro-Arctic Council brings together Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and the European Union as its members.
The Barents Regional Council concluded on September 18, 2026. The interregional component of the structure is no longer in place.
The former structure of the Barents Cooperation.
During 2026 Norway and Sweden alternate in chairing the meetings in the Committee of Senior Officials to the Barents Euro-Arctic Council.
The two councils have established Working Groups. The Working Groups constitute a cross-border platform for exchange for the civil servants and professionals of the respective field both on the national and regional level. The aim of the Working Groups was to concretize the cooperation in the different sectors where cooperation took place. Following the conclusion of the Barents Regional Council, the Working Groups no longer have designated regional representatives.
To secure indigenous peoples’ rights, foundation for trade, society, culture and language in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region, the indigenous Sami people and their representatives cooperate in the Working Group of Indigenous Peoples (WGIP). It has an advisory role in the Barents Euro-Arctic Council.
The Summit of Barents Euro-Arctic Indigenous Sámi People - 2023
In 2008, the International Barents Secretariat was established in Kirkenes. The secretariat supports the multilateral activities within the Barents Euro-Arctic Council and Barents Regional Council and secures the coherence and efficiency of the cooperation.
