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You are here: Home i In Focus i In focus 2010 i Theme: Opening the Northern borders i Visa-free zone heralds Norwegian-Russian labour market in the North

Visa-free zone heralds Norwegian-Russian labour market in the North

Another milestone in Norwegian-Russian cooperation is reached as Norway and Russia agrees on visa-free travel for border region residents,. The visa-free zone crosses the Schengen border, making it a rarity in Europe. Yet there are reasons to remain patient. It could take another 12 months before the agreement comes into force.
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Russian commuters

Jelena Romanov (above) communes weekly from Zapoljarny to her new job in Kirkenes. Her husband works in the mine in their home city. Jelena a philologist and considers her job at Thon Hotels a chance to learn Norwegian. 

More on border region passes:

Border region passes will be of great importance for cooperation in the Norwegian-Russian border area. This is how it will work:

  1. People who have been permanent residents in the border areas for at least three years can apply for a border region pass valid for three years. The border area stretches 30 km on either side of the Norwegian-Russian border.
  2. Border region pass holders can stay for up to 15 consecutive days in the foreign country without a visa. The border region pass does not entitle the holder to work in the foreign country.
  3. Border region passes will be issued by the countries' consulates in Murmansk and Kirkenes. The Norwegian consulate issues passes to Russian border citizens and vice versa.
  4. The agreement will cover up to 9,000 people in Sør-Varanger municipality, while it will cover up to 45,000 people in Russia.

Source: Communications advisor Marte Lerberg Kopstad, Norwegian Foreign Ministry

The High North Allocation:

”The main drivers for high north development is climate change which comes as a consequence of increased human activity, the administration of the rich natural resources in the area and the development of Russia and the Norwegian-Russian relationship. The treaty on maritime delimitation and cooperation with Russia, signed on 15 September 2010 in Murmansk, represents a milestone and shows what is possible to achieve through close cooperation with our large neighbour through long-term negotiations based on modern international law. The agreement gives us a border at sea and opens up great opportunities for cooperation on sustainable administration and development of natural resources in the Barents and Polar Seas." writes Norway's Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in his foreword to the Foreign Ministry's report ”Status of the High North Allocation October 2010.  

Shtokman
  1. There are great expectations for oil and gas exploration in the Barents Ses
  2. Shtokman is the world's largest offshore gas field. It's in the Russian part of the Barents Sea. Total and Statoil together with Gazprom own the Shtokman exploration company. 
  3. The company has said it will decide in March 2011 whether, when and how the field will be explored. 
  4. The Shtokman gas will be piped through Russia via the Baltic Sea to Germany. Liquid gas (LNG) would be shipped to the USA USA and Canada, but a decision on LNG will not be made until the end of 2011.
  5. All this activity will take place outside of Norway's borders. Sør-Varanger businesses hope the supply industry will set up base in Kirkenes and that the city's harbour will be developed. 
  6. The treaty on maritime delimitation signed on 15 september 2010 in Murmansk by foreign ministers Sergej Lavrov and Jonas Gahr Støre could lead to oil and gas exploration also on the Norwegian side of the border. There are plans for seismic testing to map the sub-sea geology.
Russian student boom in Norway

There was a 33 percent increase in Russian students in Norway from 2009 to 2010. There are now 1,035 Russian students in Norway, more than Swedish students (814) and German ones (777).

Source: Universitas.

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