North Sweden, north Norway and north Finland are diverse regions with unique conditions for regional growth. It is a geography that belongs to the European Arctic with the EU's most sparsely populated structure but at the same time has one of the EU's strongest innovation systems with attractive urban environments. The supply of raw materials and processed products - critical for European industry - is great and the business community is currently investing huge sums in an unprecedented green new industrialization. 

Infrastructure is key for northern Europe's contribution to EU's green transition

The EU's green transition requires functional and robust road, rail and sea links. In the north, there are specific challenges that make the regions vulnerable, such as large distances, sparsely populated and aging populations and a cold climate. The development of a large-scale and environmentally friendly basic industry is also threatened by shortcomings in transport infrastructure. Continued development of a modern coastal railway in a north-south transport route to the EU's internal market is crucial, but so are investments in east-west transport routes to markets in Asia and west across the Atlantic. 

National transport plans in Norway, Sweden and Finland must, like the EU's infrastructure policy, aim to eliminate bottlenecks, upgrade infrastructure and simplify cross-border transport for both passengers and goods. With the right policy and a good interaction between national level and EU level, the northern regions have great potential for long-term sustainable growth and crucial resources to contribute to the EU's goals of climate neutrality. 

From May 31 to June 1 2022, LKAB, the Port of Narvik and Norrbotniabanan invite you to the "Arctic Infrastructure Conference" at Scandic Hotel Ferrum, in Kiruna, Sweden. Bothnian Corridor and North Sweden European Office are two of the collaborating partners. The conference will revolve around the current challenges and the political dimension of infrastructural and logistical issues in northern Scandinavia and Finland, and promoting increased cooperation between the regions in northern Sweden, Norway and Finland for improved sustainable logistics. 

Who will participate?

The conference will bring together decision-makers at municipal, regional and national level from Sweden, Norway and Finland as well as representatives from the EU, the basic industries and the shellfish industry. From northern Sweden participants include, among others, Nils-Olov Lindfors, regional councilor in Norrbotten; Henric Fuchs, infrastructure strategist in the Västernorrland Region; Elisabeth Sinclair, project manager for Norrbotniabanan, Christoffer von Bothmer, project manager at Botninan Corridor and Lotta Rönström, Senior Adviser at North Sweden European Office. 

Read more about the event and register here.