3 Security development in Finland’s neighbourhood
3.1 Cooperation in strengthening comprehensive security
Neighbouring areas
The security situation is good in Finland’s neighbourhood. The consolidation of cooperation in the Baltic Sea area and in the north, based on mutual interests, strengthens stability and promotes comprehensive security in Finland’s neighbourhood. Regional cooperation in 1orthern Europe is an important addition to the development in Europe and beyond.
Longstanding cooperation in Finland’s neighbourhood covers common problems such as environmental threats, nuclear safety, major accidents and disasters, crossborder organised crime, illicit immigration, cyber threats and issues related to public health.
Established cooperation in the Baltic Sea region, especially within the framework of the Council of the Baltic Sea States CBSS, bene¿ts the environment, the economy, transport, research and other ¿elds of society. States around the Baltic Rim share the bene¿ts of keeping the transit route open and accident free as well as clean and viable. This supports stability in the region. The 1ord Stream Pipeline increases the signi¿cance of the Baltic Sea in economic
interaction in which Russia and the European 8nion depend on each other.
The volume of oil transports in the Baltic Sea will grow sharply, which also increases the risks of accidents and environmental disasters in shipping.
The 1orthern Dimension and the E8 Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region fuse the 8nion’s collective prestige and resources into cooperation which has achieved good results, especially in the ¿eld of the environment. The 1orthern Dimension is a policy shared by the E8, Russia, 1orway and Iceland. Concrete cooperation takes place within the framework of the Dimension to alleviate problems in areas such as wastewater management, nuclear safety, transport and infectious diseases. Russia’s participation in institutionalised regional cooperation is important, and new venues of cooperation are presently being sought. The E8 Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region aims to improve cooperation between the actors in the area, and to better utilise the E8funded programmes intended to improve the maritime environment, economic development, appeal and security of the Baltic Sea area.
Factbox: The civilian authorities’ multilateral cooperative arrangements in Finland’s neighbourhood, page 116
The Arctic region
The consequences of climate change to the Arctic environment are profound.
It is estimated that temperatures will increase at about twice the global rate in the Arctic region. As a result of this the vegetation zones in the Arctic will shift, the diversity and distribution of fauna will change, the polar ice cap as a whole will continue to shrink and the permafrost will melt in places. Climate change will increase the commercial utilisation of the northern sea routes 1ortheast Passage, 1orthwest Passage in the coming decades.
There is great interest in exploiting the abundant natural resources of the Arctic region. The management of environmental issues requires improved technologies, better infrastructure and maritime safety as well as more sophisticated navigation systems. It also requires a balanced approach in the tolerance of the environment to Arctic business activities and tapping into international cooperation.
The development of transport routes as well as communications and logistics networks in the 1orthern Arctic 2cean is paramount to the economy of the northern regions. The oil and gas reserves are almost exclusively located on the continental shelves or in the economic zones of Arctic 2cean rim states and so they control the manner by which the resources will be brought online.
There are several unresolved questions pertaining to the rights of the coastal states of the region and these have to be resolved in accordance with international law. The present international treaty regime, in particular the 8nited 1ations Convention on the Law of the Sea 81CL2S, provides a basis for the handling of Arctic questions.
In , after years of negotiations 1orway and Russia signed a historically important treaty on maritime delimitation and cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic 2cean. There are still unresolved maritime delimitation issues between DenmarkGreenland, Canada and the 8nited States. In the coming years Russia, Canada and Denmark will make their submissions to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf regarding the extension of their continental shelves. As regards the northern sea areas, thus far the Commission has only adopted the ¿nal recommendations on the outer limits of 1orway’s continental shelf. The 8nited States has yet to ratify the Convention.
The Arctic 2cean rim states have agreed that they will attempt to resolve delimitation questions on the basis of international law and scienti¿c data. The ongoing assessments and their results will echo on the states’ views on Arctic cooperation.
In their national Arctic strategies Russia and Canada emphasise their sovereignty in their Arctic regions. The rim states are modernising their maritime surveillance and military equipment suited to the Polar regions, and the number of exercises in the vicinity of the region is on the rise. Russia does not want 1AT2 or China to increase their presence in the Arctic region.
When it comes to security policy the Arctic region is stable, and a military conÀict in the area is considered to be unlikely. 1onetheless, security developments in the region must be monitored. A goal shared by all Arctic 2cean rim states and the other Member States of the Arctic Council is to preserve and promote peaceful cooperation in the Arctic region.
Conclusions
Finland maintains close and wideranging relationships in its neighbourhood, and actively participates in establishing and developing cooperative structures in the area. Comprehensive cooperation in these structures promotes stability in Finland’s neighbourhood.
When it comes to Arctic questions Finland supports the efforts of international and regional organisations. The Arctic Council, the Barents EuroArctic Council and the International Maritime 2rganisation IM2 play important roles in Arctic questions. The 8nited 1ations Convention
on the Law of the Sea lays a comprehensive foundation for the terms of using and protecting the world’s seas. The Arctic Council implements collaborative programmes in the ¿eld of sustainable development.
Finland has actively developed the cooperative structures in the area of the Baltic Sea, such as the Council of the Baltic Sea States CBSS and by utilising the E8 Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.
The Arctic Council, the Barents Euro-Arctic Council and the Council of the Baltic Sea States
All three councils are intergovernmental cooperative fora which operate in their respective geographic areas. The Arctic Council was founded in 1996 and its Member States include the eight Arctic states and representatives of indigenous peoples. It comprehensively covers issues related to the region such as the environment, navigation, research and treaty regimes.
The Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, Poland, France and Germany have observer status in the Council.
The purpose of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council is to promote stability, sustainable development and security in the Barents area, the most populated area in the Arctic region.
The Council was founded in 1993 and, in addition to its seven permanent members, observer states include the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, Poland, France, Germany and the United States.
The Council of the Baltic Sea States was established in 1992 to promote democracy and economic development in the Baltic Sea Region. In addition to the Members of the Council there are observer states (the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy, Slovakia, France, Romania, Ukraine, Belarus and the United States).
BARENTS EURO-ARCTIC COUNCIL