The fifth meeting of the Senior Officials of the renewed Northern Dimension (ND) took place in Reykjavík on 14 December 2016. The meeting was hosted by Iceland and attended by the Senior Officials of the four Northern Dimension Partners – the European Union, Iceland, Norway and the Russian Federation.
The Northern Dimension Partnerships, the ND Institute as well as representatives of the Regional Councils, the International Financial Institutions as well as other delegates from EU states and observers also participated the meeting.
The Senior Officials appreciated the concrete achievements of all ND partnerships. Special acknowledgement was given to renewed mandates of NDEP and NDPTL, as well as the strategy for 2020 by NDPHS. Also NDPC strategy work and aim to activate all partners in the region was noted by the Senior Officials.
Special credit was also given to cross-sectorial activities of partnerships, as well as efforts to find synergies and avoid duplication of work in projects. Iceland’s announcement of rejoining the ND Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being was acknowledged as good news for the ND cooperation.
Overall, the meeting atmosphere was very positive and the chair’s conclusions make an impression that the future of Northern Dimension cooperation will look bright also in the future.
