Barents Euro-Arctic Council

Barents Euro-Arctic Council

Abbreviation	BEAC
Formation	1993, Kirkenes Declaration
Type	Intergovernmental Organization
Purpose	Forum for intergovernmental cooperation in the Barents region
Membership	6 members Denmark Finland Iceland Norway Sweden European Commission 10 observers Canada France Germany Italy Japan Netherlands Poland United Kingdom United States
Website	barents-council.org

The Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) is the official body for inter-governmental co-operation in the Barents Region. It seeks solutions wherever and whenever the countries can achieve more together than by working on their own. Cooperation in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region was launched in 1993 on two levels: intergovernmental Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) and interregional Barents Regional Council (BRC). The overall objective of Barents cooperation has been sustainable development.

In 2008, the International Barents Secretariat was established in Kirkenes. The secretariat supports the multilateral activities within the Barents Euro-Arctic Council and Barents Regional Council and secures the coherence and efficiency of the cooperation. The IBS maintains the archives of the Barents Euro-Arctic council and the Barents Regional Council and works as an information database.

Where appropriate, there is also coordination with the relevant activities of the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Council of the Baltic Sea States, the Arctic Council and the Northern Dimension.