Barents Euro-Arctic Council is the forum for intergovernmental cooperation on issues concerning the Barents region. The meeting of the BEAC on the foreign ministers level are held every 2 years in the chairmanship country at the end of each BEAC chairmanship term. Between the ministerial meetings, the committee of senior officials organizes the work of BEAC.
History
BEAC was founded at the conference on cooperation in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region took place in Kirkenes on 11 January 1993 in accordance with the Kirkenes Declaration of 1993. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs or representatives of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the Commission of the European Communities participated in the conference, which was also attended by observers from the United States of America, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Poland, and the United Kingdom. The BEAC was created in order to provide impetus to existing cooperation and consider new initiatives and proposals. The objective of the work of the council is to promote sustainable development in the Barents region, bearing in mind the principles and recommendations set out in the Rio Declaration and Agenda 21 of UNCED.
The BEAC Chairmanship rotates every second year between Norway, Finland, Russia and Sweden. Usually, every Chair country has own priorities and plans of development.
Sweden is holding Chairmanship for the period 2017-2019
Russia held the Chairmanship for the period 2015-2017
Finland held the Chairmanship for the period 2013-2015
Norway held the Chairmanship for the period 2011-2013
Sweden held the Chairmanship for the period 2009-2011
Russia held the Chairmanship for the period 2007-2009
Ministerial meetings
Ministers of the four Barents countries have met regularly since the Kirkenes Declaration in 1993. The BEAC Foreign Minister's Sessions is the highest decision-making body in the whole Barents cooperation. Foreign ministers meet biannually with the transferring the BEAC Chairmanship to the next country.
Committee of senior officials
The Committee of Senior Officials is the BEAC body responsible for coordinating the cooperation activities and organizing the work within BEAC between the meetings at the Foreign Minister level. The CSO is represented by the civil servants from the governments of the member states and the European Union. Representatives of the observer countries have the right to participate. The CSO meets on a regular basis 4-5 times per year in the country holding the Chairmanship of the BEAC. The Chairperson of the CSO is a representative of the government of the Chair country.
Working groups
There is a number of the working groups assisting the cooperation and CSO. The working groups report to the CSO each year and the CSO gives guidance to the groups. The CSO has the mandate to establish new Working Groups or terminate groups that have completed their task. List of the BEAC Working Groups:
