Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.2002, Qupperneq 45

TÝDNINGURIN AV TVØRTJOÐA SAMSTARVI í NORÐURATLANTSØKINUM
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Faroe Islands suffers from its position in-
between: It is neither an autonomous nation
with its own foreign policy initiatives (as
Iceland is) nor a fully recognised region of
a nation with strong regional and foreign
policies (as Northern Norway is). Of
course, the Faroe Islands can pursue alter-
natives to either Icelandic or Norwegian
models - but something may be learnt from
both. Perhaps, too, the foreign ministries of
Denmark and Iceland have something to
learn from Norway:
NORA could develop into the type of or-
ganisation more concerned with addressing
its role in a global economy rather than just
concentrating on internal concerns. A more
international forum of ministers, similar to
the Barents Council, could be added, in-
cluding Danish and EU representation and
possibly Russian, Canadian and US ob-
servers as well. Recognition of the fact that
access to markets and product development
are as important as the possession of the
marine resources themselves is fundamen-
tal to its success.
However this argument remains entirely
within a “state-centric” (Kiikonen, 1996)
way of thinking, accepting the existing
world order and the globalisation of
economies. Going beyond foreign policy,
therefore, what are the possibilities for a
self-governing region to develop - not in
terms of the regionalist projects as en-
dorsed by the EU and the US - but region-
alisation ‘frombelow’?
b. Fisheries as a dynamic factor
in the regionalisation of
the Barents Euro-Arctic Region
and Nordic Atlantic Cooperation.
A new division of labour has emerged be-
tween the fisheries of Norway and North-
western Russia, following the dissolution
of the former Soviet Union and certain lib-
eralisations in Norwegian laws regarding
the right of foreign vessels to land fish in
Norwegian harbours. While the BEAR ini-
tiative has no direct part in this arrange-
ment, in order to earn foreign currency,
Russian vessels are landing large amounts
of cod in Norway and other European
countries. In the context of the general
growth of lish stocks and growing quotas in
the Barents Sea fisheries in the mid 1990s,
this arrangement has had a positive effect
on the economy of North Norwegian fish-
ing communities - especially in eastern
Finnmark. In addition, Russian vessels of-
ten buy or conclude barter agreements on
the servicing and purchase of new equip-
inent for Russian vessels while docked in
Norwegian harbours - but to some extent
this is also the case in Denmark, the Faroe
Islands and Iceland. Northern Norway has
only the advantage of being nearer there-
fore incurring lower fuel costs for Russian
vessels.
Several initiatives within the framework
of the BEAR - funded by the Norwegian
Foreign Ministry - are helping indirectly to
develop this new division of labour into in-
tensifíed regional cooperation on science,
technology transfer and fisheries control.
Norwegians are well aware of the fact that
if they do not buy Russian cod, others