North Norway European Office
NNEO
The North Norway European Office represents the regional interests of North Norway in Brussels.
ID: 89305796581-46
Lobbying Activity
Response to Proposal for a Regulation on Military Mobility
24 Oct 2025
Northern Norway welcomes the European Commissions initiative to strengthen Europes military mobility framework. Together with northern Sweden and Finland, the region forms part of the Northern Sparsely Populated Areas (NSPA), a strategic gateway between the Arctic, the Baltic Sea and mainland Europe. In todays geopolitical climate, resilient, dual-use transport infrastructure in the NSPA is essential for operational readiness, allied reception and civilian preparedness. Northern Norway is central to NATOs northern defence posture. While infrastructure for allied logistics exists, current capacity and redundancy are limited. The region is evolving into a key transit corridor connecting Finland, Sweden and Norway vital for European and transatlantic security. The OECDs 2025 Territorial Review highlights that eastwest connections in the NSPA remain underdeveloped, with fragmented infrastructure and limited alternatives. Northern Norways transport network is vulnerable to disruption, and climate change adds further risk. At the same time, the region holds key assets for Europes green and digital transitions renewable energy, critical raw materials and strategic industry but these are fragile without robust infrastructure. North Norway supports embedding military mobility in a broader European framework for dual-use infrastructure. We urge the Commission to recognise the specific conditions of the European Arctic and the NSPA, and to ensure targeted investment in cross-border corridors and climate-resilient systems. Strengthening coordination with regional authorities who manage most of the road network is crucial for effective planning and implementation. In conclusion, tailored solutions for the European Arctic and the NSPA will enhance Europes total defence, reinforce NATOs northern flank, and contribute to a secure, resilient and sustainable Europe.
Read full responseResponse to General revision of the General Block Exemption Regulation
6 Oct 2025
Feedback from North Norway on the revision of the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER) North Norway European Office (NNEO), on behalf of the region of North Norway, welcome the opportunity to provide feedback on the European Commissions revision of the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER) and appreciate the ambition to simplify and modernize the framework. Addressing market failures and ensuring balanced conditions: Located in the European Arctic, North Norway, together with our neighboring regions in Finland and Sweden, are key contributors to Europes green transition and competitiveness, offering assets such as critical raw materials, fish, and clean energy. Yet the region faces permanent structural challenges, sparse population, harsh climate, long distances, small tax bases, and remoteness from major marketsresulting in market failures. The deteriorating security environment also underscores the regions strategic importance as the European northern and eastern frontier, bringing both responsibilities and socio-economic pressures. Arctic policy and state-aid instruments, including the GBER, are therefore vital tools for building resilience, supporting innovation, and fostering sustainable growth. The current exemptions for sparsely populated areas enable fairer competition and have been essential in generating European added value. The goal of adapted provisions is not overcompensation, but balanced conditions that allow structurally disadvantaged regions to compete and contribute fully to Europes cohesion and prosperity. Continued external engagement and targeted support remain necessary to turn these challenges into opportunities. Towards a simpler and more flexible GBER EU state-aid rules play a central role in strengthening local economies, advancing green and digital transitions, and enabling industrial transformation. However, the framework has become increasingly complex. Simplification would help create a more effective, adaptable, and predictable systemallowing quicker deployment of support for energy efficiency, digital infrastructure, green technologies, and security-related needs. The revision should also ensure better alignment between GBER and EU funding programs so that aid can be combined with national and EU resources without distorting competition. The NNEO welcomes earlier extensions of exemptions for energy efficiency, broadband, and charging infrastructureand more, and encourages further simplification in these areas. Adapting state-aid rules to local realities While the current framework generally works well, further adaptation is needed to address the distinct conditions of the European Arctic. Many small and micro-enterprises lack access to capital and struggle with innovation and technological uptake due to distance and market size. To meet these challenges, NNEO recommends: Enhancing territorial attractiveness allowing lower taxation, reduced social fees, and flexible public loan or guarantee schemes to attract people and investment in remote, low-density regions. Maintaining exemptions for transport and airports vital lifelines for businesses and communities scattered across vast northern territories. Ensuring broadband and digital infrastructure support as high-speed networks and 5G are essential for competitiveness and digitalization but rarely commercially viable in remote areas. Facilitating flexible export support enabling small firms to access international markets early given limited local demand. Encouraging collaboration-based aid allowing larger or globally owned companies to act as catalysts for SME innovation and cluster development. Promoting place-based schemes supporting small business growth through capacity-building platforms and local partnerships, rather than ownership form or firm size. Conclusion A revised GBER that recognizes the permanent structural challenges of the sparsely populated areas of northern Europeand offers simpler,
Read full responseResponse to European Critical Raw Materials Act
30 Jun 2023
With reference to our attachment, we will, on behalf of Northern Norway, give the following input to the hearing on CRMA: - A strong framework and streamlining permitting processes will be important to provide both mineral actors and local communities more predictability and continuity. - Conflict solution and cooperation with local community and indigenous people - Leave more of the value creation to local communities, among others through introduction of a resource rent.
Read full responseResponse to Net Zero Industry Act
27 Jun 2023
We refer to the attached document, with the following main comments: On behalf of our owners, North Norway European Office (NNEO) welcomes the ambition of the European Commission's proposal for the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA). However, the NNEO will use the opportunity to comments on certain aspects of the proposal: The proposal involves detailed regulations that pose a risk of surpassing national self-determination. It is important to protect the decision-making rights of the member states, municipalities, and the regions. Local and regional engagement is necessary to enhance societal acceptance in industrial establishment. NZIA should have a territorial dimension that engages municipalities and regions, while considering democratic anchoring and where the local and regional influence is to be preserved. Fast-tracking strategic projects may hold a risk, as it may hinder processes for other types of business establishments that are also important for the green transition as well as local and regional development. Developing faster and transparent permit processes for more efficient business establishments is crucial, but they should allow member states, regions, and municipalities to develop faster processes according to their own conditions and resources. The European Commission should focus on reducing climate impact rather than steering towards specific technologies. Technology neutrality is essential to promote innovative development. The regulation's limited list of net-zero technologies risks excluding other technologies that are or may become vital for the green transition.
Read full responseResponse to European Critical Raw Materials Act
25 Nov 2022
We support the European Commissions initiative on Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) and would like to take the opportunity to welcome the announcement of the Green Alliance and the intention of establishing a Strategic Partnership on Raw Materials and Batteries with Norway. The need and demand for minerals is increasing and minerals are becoming an crucial part of the regional, national and global geopolitical game. North Norway as a region stand out as a particularly important area for the sustainable utilisation of these resources. Starting a new mineral business may take a while in Norway and the permitting processes are often considered as a barrier for new mineral projects. Mineral operations often require large areas and get into conflict with other interests, such as reindeer husbandry, the environment and cultural heritage. The time it takes from an occurrence is detected until it can possibly be put into operation is perceived by many as long and unpredictable. At the same time, it is an industry that requires long-term capital. The region aims to design a framework that will encourage a larger share of the value creation from mineral activities to be returned to the local community. The CRMA has the potential to help facilitate permitting processes for mining projects in selected prioritised areas with a fast-track regulatory process, such as intended within the European Hydrogen Corridors.In connection with the planning, development, start-up or operation of mineral activities/mining, situations may arise with unnecessarily long processes or decisions that may create conflicts. Consideration should be given when it comes to establishing a regional emergency response team that can assist in these conflicts. Such a team could consist of representatives from, for example, municipalities, public and private actors and companies, organisations, and so on.Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) is a responsible mining system developed in Canada that has been adopted in Finland. The aim is to get companies to develop internal standards and processes to ensure that conflicts that may arise between mining companies, the environmental sector and the surrounding community, are handled in a responsible manner. Based on experience from other countries on sustainability, it may also be useful to include Social Impact Assessment (SIA) in the work on the mineral industry's social acceptance and in the state requirements for the content of impact assessments. The combination of TSM and SIA and a better implementation of the processes around impact assessments will raise the industry's acceptance and credibility in local communities and regions around Europe. Demands for professional expertise and innovation are increasing in line with technological developments in the mineral industry. The industry is experiencing stricter environmental and competence requirements, requirements for efficiency and sustainable use of resources. We therefore see the need to strengthen education that is offered in upper secondary schools in industry and mining. This also applies to the expertise at universities and research environments on industrial development based on mineral resources. Allocations for industry-oriented R&D in the field need to be strengthened. Major establishments in the mineral sector require a lot of long-term capital. Consideration should be given to how the EU, European alliances, organisations and nationals authorities can contribute to raising such capital.
Read full responseResponse to Regional State aid rules
30 Sept 2020
Refers to the electronically signed attachment.
Read full response