Forging links with West Norway

The focus of their interest will be on sharing expertise about the development of remote, mountain and island areas. The initiative was started by the Norwegian authorities in 2004, who, during the last year, have been developing links with their counterparts in Scotland. A meeting of the key partner organisations in May 2005, agreed to establish a long-term bi-lateral regional partnership.

Councillor Michael Foxley, Vice-Convener of The Highland Council, said: "The north of Scotland and the west of Norway share practically the same geographical situation. Mountains, islands and harsh weather conditions are factors of life in both regions. Small and remote communities must be sustained in these difficult places. The real interest comes from the big differences in the way the two regions have tackled these challenges. Norway has an excellent system for supporting its rural communities - from an extensive integrated transport system and infrastructure, to local land ownership, which brings in huge profits to local people from resources like hydro-power. Norway is an important example to us in the Highlands and Islands. This partnership should enable us to make the most of this as we are looking for tangible hard outputs."

Vanessa Halhead, who has led this initiative on behalf of the Norwegian authorities, said: "This year, as for the last 5, Norway was voted the best country in the world in which to live, by the UN. Based on a long-standing national policy to enable people to live at an equal standard throughout this geographically challenging country, Norway has put in place the policies and foundations for rural development, which are unchallenged anywhere in the world. By developing a close partnership, there will be many opportunities to learn about meeting the needs of remote areas, and sustaining them through the future challenges presented by current global trends."

Not only public bodies, but local communities themselves will stand to gain by this initiative. It is intended that local areas in Norway and Scotland will be ‘twinned’ in order to work together and build productive links. Initial plans are to develop early projects between 3 such areas in Scotland and 3 in Norway. This work will be part-funded under LEADER+. At a strategic level, it is intended to look at a range of issues, including: rural healthcare, smelter closure, community land ownership, renewable energy, transport infrastructure, the knowledge economy, coastal management and fisheries.

Following initial meetings in Inverness, the visitors will travel across the Highlands to visit Skye, Lochalsh, Wester Ross, Assynt and Loch Ness areas. They will meet with representatives from the public agencies, local authorities and local community organisations. This will start the process of building links, not only between the various authorities, but also between local communities in each country.

The Scottish organisations involved in the first stages of this initiative are: The Highland Council, Shetland Islands Council, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Scottish Natural Heritage, UHI Millennium Institute, Hi-Arts and RSPB.