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CONFERENCE OF PARLIAMENTARIANS OF THE ARCTIC REGION THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF PARLIAMENTARIANS OF THE ARCTIC REGION MEETING IN COPENHAGEN 10 JUNE 2014 Venue: Landstingssalen, Folketinget, (The Danish Parliament)
Draft minutes 1. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA AND THE PROPOSED ORDER OF AGENDA ITEMS Decision: The Committee adopted the agenda and the proposed order of agenda items for the SCPAR meeting. 2. APPROVAL OF DRAFT MINUTES FROM THE SCPAR-MEETING IN OTTAWA 24 FEBRUARY 2014 Decision: The Committee approved the minutes from the SCPAR-meeting in Ottawa 24 February 2014 3. PRESENTATION OF THE DANISH ARCTIC POLICY Mr. Martin Lidegaard, Minister of Foreign Affairs, introduce the Committee to the Danish Arctic strategy and underlined the importance of the Arctic in Denmark and internationally. The political, economic and social challenges caused by climate change, increased marine activity and accessible raw materials were mentioned as influential factors in Arctic development. The goal is sustainable development in a secure Arctic area The Kingdom of Denmark has a shared interest in the Arctic. The Ministry of Defense has initiated a study on future challenges in the Arctic. The study will be finished by 2017 and prepare the ground for further initiatives. Minister Lidegaard further underlined the importance of the establishment of the Arctic Economic Council and the approved mandatory guidelines in IMO for shipping in ice-covered waters. The Minister acknowledged the central position of the Arctic Council in the Artic cooperation and that Denmark is a strong supporter of the positive development of the Council with the two legal agreements signed as important achievement. The minister would like to see more of this and focus on implementation of existing agreements and decisions. Denmark is in favor of an inclusive approach and include more observers, such as EU. The cooperation on fisheries and living resources has started with meetings between the five Arctic coastal states. Minister Lidegaard would like to involve more states in this cooperation On questions from the Committee the Minister noted that the global warming cause changed migration patterns for some fish stocks and they also enter areas further north. There is a need of a dialogue on how we ensure sustainable fisheries in this new situation. On the question of possible new areas for legal agreements between the Arctic states the minister identified agreements addressing preservation of the nature, sustainable development and fisheries. He was also positive with regards to a closer cooperation between the Ministers of Environment. On the issue of security cooperation the Minister distinguished between military and civil security. The Arctic is a low tension area of cooperation and through the Ilulissat declaration the Arctic coastal states have committed themselves to peaceful solutions to potential disagreements. There is a need of close cooperation with regards to shipping lanes and maritime activity to ensure the Arctic is safe to travel and operate in. As the area is so huge one needs to define what enough SAR capacity is and how the responsibility of the operators shall be defined. The Arctic countries should continue and broaden the cooperation in IMO on the Polar Code. With regards to the establishment of the Arctic Economic Council its development is up to the AEC itself. The Minister himself would like to the AEC to address environmental challenges, how to ensure economic activities which benefit the people and how to attract investors to the Arctic which is still to be considered a high risk area. On question about the involvement of indigenous peoples in the AEC, the Minister pointed to the changing content of what are indigenous businesses and that the Danish government will continue a dialogue with the Faroe Islands and Greenland and support their choices in this respect. Finally the Minister acknowledged the aspirations of many in Greenland of independence, and Denmark will work together with Greenland towards this dream/aim. However the Minister still hope to have a Kingdom of Denmark also in the future. Decision: The Committee took note of the information. 4. TO THE BENEFIT OF GREENLAND Professor Minik Rosing, University of Copenhagen, introduced the Committee to the report “To the Benefit of Greenland”. Greenland has been a source of resources to Europe for centuries, mainly minerals and fish. The report establishes the factual basis for the mineral resources in Greenland today. The mineral deposits in Greenland are likely to provide an additional source of income to the Greenlandic society, but living resources will still be most important. There will also be a need of foreign investments and workers. Current operators come from Canada, US, Europe, and one Chinese company. The report identifies 10 main challenges for Greenland. The legislative basis is good but the infrastructure is poorly developed. However the melting ice improves the accessibility, both to the mineral resources and to Greenland as such. The Mineral Strategy from the Government of Greenland estimates that 3-5 mines will be opened before 2018, but the report from Mr. Rosing estimates that one new mine will open before 2018. One of the main conclusions in the report is that even with full speed in the mining development over the coming years, Greenland will only partly be able to reduce the block grant from Denmark. With a slow development and with a possible creation of a mineral wealth fund, and education of a bigger local work force, Greenland would still need financial support from Denmark. Other future possibilities might include more exploration of marine renewable resources or test the possibilities of financial support for preservation in the Arctic – leave large areas unspoiled. On questions from the Committee on the differing projections between the report and government for new mines before 2018, Mr. Rosing noted that Greenland is facing problems and looks for ways out. The view of the explorations companies is in general too positive but the politicians have chosen to listen to them. With regards to oil, Mr. Rosing said that Greenland is not likely to have export of oil in the near future. There has not been identified any deposits, the technology as of today is not for use in these Arctic waters, and there will be no drilling this year. On a question about taxation the Mr. Rosing noted that the mineral resources are a part of the Self Government of Greenland and governed from Greenland, and that they tax the earnings and a the royalty on production with the new government is 37% of the profit. In addition comes the taxation of workers. Further on the issue of labour force, Mr. Rosing noted that there will be a need of many foreign workers when opening mines in Greenland as there is little unemployed local work force. These workers may come from China, Poland or Australia, as we see other places in the world. As for the potential of tourism in Greenland Mr. Rosing noted that this was not in the mandate of the report to consider, but he personally sees a potential in tourism, but there is a lack of infrastructure to accommodate larger tourism. Finally Mr. Rosing agreed that the potential for cooperation between the Arctic states is huge, but we should not turn it into any other region, but build on what is special in the Arctic. Decision: The Committee took note of the information. 5. ARCTIC COOPERATION ON MANAGEMENT OF LIVING RESOURCES Mr. Njord Wegge, Senior Research Fellow, PhD, at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute introduced the Committee to cooperation on fisheries and the agreement reached in Nuuk 24 February 2014 between the Arctic Coastal states. The Arctic Ocean is defined by the International Hydrographic Organization which gives us 5 Arctic coastal states. Beyond the 200 nm EEZ we have the High Seas beyond the jurisdiction of a particular coastal state. To regulate fisheries and provide for international cooperation in the High Seas we have the UN Fisheries Agreement from 1995 which regulate cross boarder resources. There are also several Regional Fisheries Management Agreements (RFMOs), including NEAFC (North East Atlantic Fisheries Cooperation) which includes a small part of the Arctic Ocean North of Svalbard and West of Greenland. There is not much data on what is actually under the ice in the Arctic Ocean. With new migration patterns in the Arctic Ocean, some new fishes are likely to enter the Arctic Ocean, especially those fishes which feed in the water column, Polar Cod being the most likely. The Arctic coastal states in the Arctic Council has so far been reluctant to bring fisheries into the Arctic Council cooperation, but the Arctic coastal states have met several times on expert level to discuss fishing in the Arctic Ocean. The US has been the most active in this process, with Denmark and Canada as supportive and with Norway and Russia as the most passive. The US proactive role might be a result of the experiences from the collapse of the fishing stock Bering Sea in the early 90. The PEW Charitable Trust in the US as also been active in bringing this to the table. In Norwegian and Russian parts of the Arctic Ocean there are already large scale fishing taking place. Among other actors are: Iceland, Finland, Sweden, EU, China and other Asian states. The process between the Arctic coastal states started in Oslo in 2010 with the last being in Nuuk in February 2014. There the states agreed that there will be no fisheries until there is sufficient data. There may also be a declaration later this year which may include more states than the Arctic coastal states. Although Norway is reluctant to use the word “moratorium” it does not mean that Norway is against regulation as Norway has a unilateral ban on fishing in unregulated waters. Will the Arctic coastal states will continue to take the leadership. Will experimental fisheries be allowed? How do the indigenous peoples fishing (especially relevant for Canada) get included? On questions from the Committee Mr. Wegge noted that migration and new migration patterns of fish stocks are normal, and often other species fill the void when one group leaves. Mr. Wegge did not see the Permanent Participants becoming a part of the Arctic coastal states cooperation. Finally Mr. Wegge noted that there are areas in the Arctic Ocean which is High Seas and still have shallow waters, but most of the area is very deep. Decision: The Committee took note of the information. 6. TOWARDS COOPERATION AND CAPACITY-BUILDING IN ARCTIC PUBLIC SAFETY Mr. Kristian Søby Kristensen, University of Copenhagen, introduced the Committee to the topic ”Towards cooperation and capacity-building in Arctic public safety”. Mr. Kristensen connected public safety and Arctic sovereignty and the political responsibility to provide public safety. He went on to distinguish between Arctic ownership and Arctic stewardship, where Arctic ownership is total and stewardship is more to manage the area through cooperation and obligations. With increasing activity comes more need stewardship and public safety management, which again should result in competence building measures. The two binding agreements between the Arctic states are on public safety. Challenges for public safety building is that it is complex, has unknown elements and is costly. Complex organizations – nationally and internationally – can make the responsibility unclear. There are differences between the Arctic nations in the organization of national safety, such as military and civilian Coast Guards. Complex national structures of responsibility makes international cooperation more challenging. The local challenges in the Arctic are fragile, small settlements, with few people involved, little infrastructure and search capacity, far away and large distances. Public safety is matter of sovereign obligations but fragmentations in national responsibility. International cooperation must take place in the Arctic, but political will and resources must come from the nations. Cooperation between the states must needs to be established and institutionalized beforehand. The military is an important capacity which needs to be included. The local population is first responders with potential valuable skills. Improving infrastructure improves public safety. On question from the Committee the Mr. Kristensen noted that the level of capacity for safety in the Arctic must be a political decision based on scientific advices. He further went on the underline the importance of joint exercises and that the people who shall do the job know each other before an incident. He also underlined the need of knowledge exchange, not only information exchange. Although the political attention to the need of search and rescue capability is large, the political will is less developed. It is an economic question and about international cooperation, but anyway the Arctic will continue to be dangerous and large. The Russian delegation pointed to large investments planned and to some extent implemented along the Northern Sea Route, and that a new program on Arctic safety had recently been signed. President Putin met with business representatives in St. Petersburg to discuss Arctic shelf issues with emphasis on oil and gas explorations. Mr. Kristensen further noted that satellite information sharing is an important factor in safety management. Finally he answered that it is central to address the right risk and that technological development, such as tracking devices, will play an important role in reducing risk. The risk picture in the Arctic varies regionally and even locally as the nature and climate is different. Mapping of vulnerability could be better and would make communities more safe and resilient. Decision:
7. CONFERENCE IN WHITEHORSE 9-11 SEPTEMBER 2014 The Canadian delegation presented the updated draft program to the Committee. Preliminary reports were then presented from the rapporteurs. Mr. Sivertsen noted that he will build on the conference statement from the Arctic which includes several articles on Arctic governance. In addition Mr. Sivertsen will look at how the view of the regional and local levels are brought into the Arctic cooperation, and how indigenous peoples are involved in national and international decision making in the Arctic countries. Mr. Dennis Bevington will look at how infrastructure in the Arctic can be sustainably developed in a changing Arctic – taking into account the economic development and costs of living in the Arctic, energy infrastructure and promoting food security. On behalf of Senator Murkowski Mr. Isaac Edwards reported that the focus will on capacity multi environmental capacity and build on the report from the Committee on the same topic. Members of the Committee underlined the importance to focus on prevention – both in the draft the draft conference statement and in the report on capacity building and economic development. The need of regional cooperation on exchange of labour force was also put forward as an important issue to be included in the statement. Finally a new article on the involvement of the permanent participants was presented. Decision: The Committee took note of the updates and the input from its members to the preparations for the conference in Whitehorse. Amendments to the conference statement must be sent to the Secretary General. 8. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND CAPACITY BUILDING IN THE NORTH Members of the Committee wanted to expand the text on infrastructure, include the role of forest industry and the promotion of new technology. Members of the Committee also wanted a clearer on the benefits when assessing the development of natural resources in the Arctic, and finally try to distinguish between “the Arctic” and “the High North” in the report, Decision: The Committee took note of the input and the Secretary General will include it into an updated draft of the report. 9. STATUS OF THE WORK OF SCPAR Ms. Olsvig informed the Committee that she has been elected new Chair of her party, IA, and will need to give this work top priority. She will therefore retire from the Danish parliament and focus on her work as a member of the Greenlandic parliament and party Chair. Following from this Ms. Olsvig will step down as Chair of SCPAR at the meeting of the Standing Committee 10 September. Ms. Olsvig also informed about the exchange of letters between her as Chair of SCPAR and the Arctic Council Chairmanship. The background for was a decision by the Canadian Chairmanship to reject a request from the Standing Committee to report on its activities at SAO meeting in Yellowknife in March 2014. This was the first time SCPAR was not given the opportunity to address a SAO meeting of the Arctic Council upon request. Mr. Leef questioned the wording in the letter from the Chair of SCPAR and if it was wise to use the words “historic” and “disappointed”, and if it was factual correct that SCPAR had always been given the opportunity to address the SAO meetings. Members of the Committee noted that it would be appropriate the address the need of a direct dialogue with the Arctic Council in the Conference Statement in the upcoming conference in Whitehorse. Mr. Tumusov from the Russian delegation presented the project “The Family of the Arctic”. 2014 is the “Year of Culture” in Russia and the Sakha republic has named 2014 the “Year of the Arctic”. In this connection Mr. Tumusov has published a book “The Treasures of the North” which is about the people in the Arctic. The book was distributed to the members of the Committee. The US reported that a Special Representative for the Arctic will most likely be named within the next few weeks. A report from the US Government Accountability Office on the work of the Arctic Council, and follow up of the recommendations from the Council, was presented in May. Norway reported about a successful visit to Oslo from the Arctic delegation in the Finnish parliament 5 May, and about an upcoming Arctic event in Arendal, Norway 15 August. The West-Nordic Council has a new Secretary General Ms. Inga Dora Markussen, Greenland. The Council is working to establish the West Nordic area as a free trade economic zone, and welcomed the members of the Committee to the Arctic Circle in Reykjavik, 31 Oct – 2 November. Indigenous Peoples Secretariat reported of a new director who will start working 1 September 2014. The IPS will move to Tromsø, probably next year, and will 1 November organize a conference celebrating the 20 years anniversary of IPS. Saami Parliamentary Council will apply for observer status in the Arctic Council and membership in the Nordic Council. There will be a preparatory meeting in the UN in advance of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, and they prepare input from Saami people in this process. Nordic Council organized a thematic session in Akureyri on the sustainable utilization of natural resources where issues like environmental threats and search and rescue were discussed together with disagreements on fisheries such as herring and mackerel. The Nordic Council session will be in Stockholm in the end of October. Sweden just had a debate on climate debate in the Plenary. There will a national election 14 September where environmental and climate issues are likely to be important, as they were in the European Parliament elections in Sweden. Finland referred to the Arctic Science Summit which took place in Helsinki in late April and an event with the US Arctic Research Commission. The Finnish delegation visited Norway in May and will receive a delegation from Alaska next week. Russia referred to the implementation of the plan for Arctic zone in Russia. Russian is also implementing a national system on prevention and the President is hosting a meeting on safety in the Arctic. The law regulating the different land - zones in Russia has recently been updated with an updated definition of what is the Arctic zone. The Chair reported that she will attend three different meetings in the near future in her capacity as Chair: a meeting at “Oden” on the limits of the Arctic shelf 25 June, the ICC Congress in Inuvik 21-24 July and the Arctic meeting in Arendal 15 August. Greenland has also started with scientific catch of mackerel in Greenlandic waters. Canada wished the members of the Committee welcome to Whitehorse. Decision: The Committee took note of the information. 10. NEXT MEETINGS OF SCPAR Whitehorse 9 September 2014 and 10 September 2014 Helsinki 19-21 November 2014 - including seminar on increased cooperation on security in the Arctic. Decision:
The next meetings of SCPAR will be in Whitehorse 9 and 10 September and in Helsinki 19-21 November. 11. ANY OTHER BUSINESS There was no other business.
CONFERENCE OF PARLIAMENTARIANS OF THE ARCTIC REGION THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF PARLIAMENTARIANS OF THE ARCTIC REGION MEETING IN COPENHAGEN 10 -11 June 2014 List of participants MEMBERS Canada Mr. Ryan Leef, MP Mr. Dennis Bevington, MP Mr. Tim Williams, Analyst, Parliamentary Information and Research Service, Library of Parliament Denmark/Greenland Ms. Sara Olsvig, MP Mr. Sjurður Skaale, MP Mr. Peder Pedersen, Head of Section Ms. Kamilla Kjelgaard, Adviser Ms. Jonna Sandø, International Secretary Ms. Anne-Kathrine B. Olsen, Adviser Finland Mrs. Johanna Ojala-Niemelä, MP Mr. Guy Lindström, Deputy Director, International Department Iceland Ms. Arna Bang, Adviser Norway Mr. Eirik Sivertsen, MP Russia Mr. Vladimir Torlopov, Senator, Head of the Russian Delegation Mr. Igor Chernyshenko - Senator Ms. Natalia Libinzon - Assistant to Senator Torlopov Mr. Fedot Tumusov, MP Ms. Irina Kuzmina, Secretary Sweden Ms. Anita Brodén, MP Ms. Eva Hjelm, Adviser USA Mr. Isaac Edwards, Adviser Ms. Susan Delja, US Embassy PERMANENT PARTICIPANTS Sámi Parliamentary Mr. Håkan Jonsson, President Council Ms. Kristina Nordlig, Administrator Indigenous Peoples Ms. Alona Yefimenko, Acting Executive Secretary Secretariat OBSERVERS Nordic Council Mr. Helgi Hjörvar, MP Mr. Torkil Sørensen, Senior advisor Mr. Sighvatur Hilmar Arnmundsson, Adviser West-Nordic Council Ms. Unnur Bra Konradsdottir, MP Ms. Inga Dora Markussen, Secretary General SECRETARIAT Mr. Bjørn Willy Robstad, Secretary General INTERPRETERS Ms. Alexandra Lööw Mr. Sten Jacobsen GUESTS Mr. Martin Lidegaard, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Erik Vilstrup Lorentsen, Under-Secretary for Arctic Affairs, Ambassador, MFA Professor Minik Rosing, University of Copenhagen Mr. Njord Wegge, Senior Research Fellow, PhD, Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Norway Mr. Kristian Søby Kristensen, Senior Researcher, University of Copenhagen Mr. Hrannar Arnarsson, Adviser, Nordic Council Ms. Joan Ólavsdóttir, Adviser, Nordic Council Arctic Council Chwairmanship (2)
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