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 Non-EU partners of the Northern Dimension | |
| Formation | 1999; 26 years ago (1999) |
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| Type | Policy |
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| Website | Website |
TheNorthern Dimension (ND) is a joint policy between four equal partners – theEuropean Union,Russia,Norway andIceland – regarding the cross-border and external policies geographically coveringNorthwest Russia, theBaltic Sea and theArctic regions, including theBarents Region.[1] The ND Policy was initiated in 1999 and renewed in 2006. The Northern Dimension addresses the specific challenges and opportunities arising in those regions and aims to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between the EU and its member states, the northern countries associated with the EU under theEuropean Economic Area (Norway and Iceland) and Russia. A particular emphasis is placed on subsidiarity, and on ensuring the active participation of all stakeholders in the North, including regional organizations, local and regional authorities, the academic and business communities, andcivil society. On 24 September 2025, the EU, Iceland, and Norway decided to terminate Northern Dimension cooperation with Russia after having suspended it in 2022 afterRussia’s invasion of Ukraine.[2]
Several key priority themes for dialogue and co-operation under the Northern Dimension have been identified:
The working method for cooperation within the Northern Dimension is the partnerships model. ND cooperation takes place within four partnerships:
Other kinds of activities are pursued through the Northern Dimension Institute (NDI) and theNorthern Dimension Business Council (NDBC).From the beginning of 2019, the Northern Dimension Institute led by the Aalto University's Center for markets in Transition (CEMAT) is leading an EC co-fundedNDI Think Tank Action.
The Northern Dimension is intended to promote security and stability in the region, as well as helping build a safe, clean, and accessible environment for all people in the north. It aims at addressing the special regional development challenges ofnorthern Europe. These include cold climatic conditions, long distances, wide disparities in standards of living, environmental challenges including problems withnuclear waste andwastewater management, and insufficient transport and border crossing facilities. The Northern Dimension is also intended to take advantage of the rich potential of the region, for example in terms ofnatural resources, economic dynamism, and a richcultural heritage.
Besides, the Northern Dimension also has the objectives of addressing the challenges arising from uneven regional development, and helping avoid the emergence of new dividing lines in Europe followingEU enlargement.
With the enlargement of the Union on 1 May 2004 to includeEstonia,Latvia,Lithuania, andPoland, the importance of the Northern Dimension has increased considerably: eight EU Member States (Denmark,Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia,Finland, andSweden) surround theBaltic Sea, and the EU's shared border with Russia has lengthened.
Recent years have seen far-reaching changes in the geopolitical map of northern Europe. The Baltic States regained their independence in 1991. Finland and Sweden joined the EU in 1995, and Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland in 2004. These events greatly increased the Northern and Baltic "presence" of the EU, and substantially lengthened the common border shared by the EU and the Russian Federation. It was imperative to address constructively the new challenges and opportunities which these changes created.
The Northern Dimension as an important topic for EU policy was first recognized at theLuxembourgEuropean Council in December 1997. In the years which followed, the concept became more concrete. TheVienna European Council in December 1998 adopted a Commission Communication on aNorthern Dimension for the policies of the Union. Six months later, inCologne, the European Council adoptedGuidelines for the Implementation of the Northern Dimension. In November 1999, the Finnish EU Presidency held a Ministerial Conference on the Northern Dimension, where an Inventory of current activities under the Northern Dimension was adopted. TheHelsinki European Council in December 1999 invited the commission to prepare a Northern Dimension Action Plan, and the Feira European Council in June 2000 subsequently adopted this firstAction Plan for the Northern Dimension in the external and cross-border policies of the European Union, 2001-2003.
Also a new dimension of this complex relationship is emerging with the melting of the Arctic because ofclimate change. Melting of sea ice leads to newly accessible natural resources which could cause power struggle.
As of 2025, the Northern Dimension is effectively defunct as a result ofRussia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
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