Arctic, Finland and Norway say yes to cooperation with Italia on critical raw materials, energy and defence

One area of cooperation could be in nuclear energy, and in particular small modular reactors. 'Yes, this is one of the options on which we are developing some capabilities,' explained the Undersecretary for Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland. 'But I mean, especially in renewable energy Finland has done extremely well in recent years. So, for example... not only has wind power reached the point where 24 per cent, 25 per cent of our electricity is generated by wind, but then we are also strong in nuclear, also in traditional technology issues and safety issues. So there are many opportunities there, but I think small modular reactors (smr) will be one of the growth areas. In general, when we talk about science and that kind of cooperation, Finland will still invest very heavily in Research and Development (R&D) in general. So our goal is that by the end of this decade, 4 per cent of our GDP will be spent on research and development. This is one of the highest values in the world,' Syrjälä emphasised.

Undoubtedly, the issue of critical raw materials plays a major role in Italia's view of the Arctic. In 2024, the Norwegian company Rare Earths Norway announced the discovery of the largest rare earth deposit in Europe, located in the Fen carbonate complex in Telemark County, with an estimated 8.8 million tonnes of total rare earth oxides. "First of all, Norway is in the fortunate position of having a number of critical minerals in some very promising areas," recalled Norway's Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Eivind Vad Petersson. There is already work going on between our Ministry of Trade and Industry, and our Italian counterparts. I know that they have already met and there are future working tables. So absolutely, in the new context this also becomes a question of strategic autonomy for Europe, with access to these minerals. Therefore it is important that Norway, although not a member of the EU, but being part of the internal market, contributes to a certain extent to European sovereignty by providing access to these materials. Fortunately, on the Norwegian side, there are a number of promising projects, and I, on behalf of the government, warmly welcome Norwegian-Italian cooperation in this area as well'.

'As far as Arctic research is concerned,' Petersson continued, 'there is a long-standing cooperation. There has been an Italian research presence in the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago for about three decades now. As far as I know it has mainly focused on climate research. And in this regard I want to say that we would absolutely continue on the Norwegian side to facilitate this kind of scientific cooperation. And we believe on the Norwegian side that we have some of the best infrastructure and logistical setups to conduct research in the Arctic. Fortunately, Italian researchers have been making use of this opportunity for several decades now'.

The High North also brings up the subject of energy sources. 'Eni, for example, is already a major player in the Norwegian oil and gas sector, on the Norwegian continental shelf,' he recalled. 'It has been very active for a number of years, including some of the oil and gas activity that is taking place in the Norwegian Arctic, in the far north of Norway and offshore. So in this regard we have very close cooperation, also in partnership with Norwegian companies, and this is something we very much welcome and appreciate from the Norwegian government side. We hope that it can continue and grow."

"Speaking in terms of oil and gas, just to explain, I mean, we have become an important supplier of natural gas to the rest of Europe. But this is mainly through the 8,800 kilometres of undersea pipelines. In the far north of Norway, where Eni is involved, there is also an LNG plant. And in terms of gas supply to Italia, I have seen that the numbers have increased: now Norwegian gas covers almost 10 per cent of Italy's gas needs. And for the last few years we have been supplying almost 40 per cent of European needs. That is one thing. On the other hand, I want to say that we are a big player not only in oil and gas, but also in renewable energy. Take the Norwegian company Statkraft, I think it is the biggest producer of renewable energy in Europe. And in this respect there are a number of interesting projects in the pipeline, both in terms of energy production but also in terms of infrastructure,' he says.

Italia's interests in the Arctic are also in the area of defence. "Italia," Petersson clarified, "is an important Nato ally for Norway within the alliance framework. What is happening now within the Atlantic Alliance is that we are collectively doing more in terms of Arctic defence and security. A practical example is the significant military exercise called Cold Response that is taking place now in March in northern Norway and off the coast of northern Norway and northern Finland, where there will be significant participation of the Italian Armed Forces. I want to conclude by saying that for any modern military if it can operate in the Arctic it can operate anywhere. That is the saying. So in addition to improving allied security in the Arctic, there is the advantage of being able to train, operate and exercise in the Arctic in terms of defence force capabilities, regardless of what their geographic environment of origin is.

 For his part, Petersson emphasised that 'the Arctic today is actually a very well regulated region. There is no legal vacuum,' he recalled. 'There are no border disputes to speak of. Melting ice, sea routes and potentially more accessible resources are obviously also attracting interest from new players who do not necessarily think in terms of sustainability or long-term responsibility. This is why,' emphasised Norway's Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, 'it is more important than ever that development takes place in accordance with the law of the sea and that the countries responsible for the land and sea areas and the people of the region remain in the driving seat. At the same time,' Petersson continued, 'we need broad international cooperation in this area. The Arctic is warming three to four times faster than the global average. The causes of climate change lie mainly outside the Arctic, while the consequences are felt both in the Arctic and outside. Arctic climate change has a profound impact on weather patterns in the rest of the planet. The Arctic Council has now been the leading body in Arctic cooperation for exactly three decades, with all eight Arctic states and the six indigenous peoples' organisations sitting at the table'.

If this is the scenario, 'the role and contributions of observers, including Italia, in the Arctic Council are highly appreciated. We on the Norwegian side welcome the new Italian Arctic Strategy. We believe it is a good platform for further cooperation between our two countries on a number of relevant Arctic issues such as security, research, climate, development and more. And we also welcome Italia's strong commitment to deepening cooperation within the Arctic Council,' concluded Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister.