OREANDA-NEWS. September 18, 2008. A regular Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) meeting of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC), involving Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and the Commission of the European Communities, took place in Solovki, Arkhangelsk Region, on September 15-17 under Russia’s chairmanship.

The talks held resulted in the endorsement of an Agreement on Financial and Personnel Rules for the International Barents Secretariat, thus concluding the preparation of a package of documents governing the Secretariat’s activities which began this year and have already helped improve the organization of practical cooperation in the Barents Region and the Council’s current work. A 2009 Secretariat budget also was considered and approved. Renewed Administrative Rules for BEAC, governing the procedure for the preparation and conduct of BEAC and CSO sessions, were agreed and adopted.

The meeting noted the successful course of cooperation in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region. Initiatives to establish a BEAC tourism cooperation task force, to hold a representative regional climate change theory and practice conference in 2009 and to organize a BEAC/EU conference on higher professional education before the year’s end were discussed and the prospects for specific activities in economic cooperation, energy, transport, environmental protection, customs cooperation, health care, support of the indigenous peoples of the North and other undertakings were examined.

Meeting participants were received by the Arkhangelsk Region Governor, Ilya Mikhalchuk.

The next CSO meeting is scheduled to be held in Petrozavodsk in February 2009.