When Europaforum Northern Sweden met in Kiruna on 7–8 May 2026, the meeting concluded with the adoption of a new policy statement, the Kiruna Declaration 4.0. This marks an important milestone in strengthening northern Sweden’s voice within the EU.
The development of the EU. As early as 2009, during Sweden’s EU presidency, the concept of territorial potential was highlighted and contributed to the development of European Union regional policy.
In 2013, the Arctic Council emphasised that the Arctic is a living region. In 2023, Sweden once again took up its EU presidency in Kiruna, where the Committee of the Regions’ Political Bureau adopted a declaration to strengthen Europe’s northern sparsely populated areas. The Kiruna Declaration 4.0 builds on this tradition.
The full Kiruna Declaration 4.0 can be found here
A joint direction in changing times
The declaration serves as a strategic compass for the ongoing work within the Europaforum Northern Sweden political network. At a time when the EU is negotiating its future budget and competitiveness, coordination is becoming increasingly important. The declaration sets out common principles for areas such as regional development, energy and infrastructure.
– There are many issues to monitor, and it’s all about being quick. We are responding to some of these by establishing so-called positions within our working groups in Europaforum Northern Sweden. The declaration offers us an opportunity to capture a broader perspective that can guide us in our ongoing work, says Anders Öberg (S), Chair of the Regional Executive Board of Region Norrbotten and rapporteur for Europaforum Northern Sweden.
An open process with broad participation
The process has been characterised by participation. During the forum, participants were invited to contribute via a ‘democracy forum’, where perspectives from the political, business, academic, and civil society sectors were considered.
– It fosters participation and ensures that important perspectives are not lost but can be incorporated into the ongoing work, says Anders Öberg.
This engagement is seen as a strength in advocacy work.
– Dialogue broadens our perspectives and makes us stronger when we drive change in the region, says Jonas Andersson (S), Chair of the Regional Development Committee in Region Jämtland Härjedalen and Chair of Europaforum Northern Sweden.
At the same time, the work on finalising the declaration has focused on prioritising the bigger picture.
– We appreciate all the fantastic contributions. We will still take note of points not directly included in the text and incorporate them in other ways, says Jonas Andersson.
In a time of great change, the declaration provides a clear direction: the development of the whole of Europe also begins in its northernmost parts.