politics
The Norwegian Government to Further Develop Preparedness in the High North
In next year's national budget, the Norwegian government wants to strengthen the new Arctic Resilience Centre with NOK 15 million. It also proposes to allocate NOK 12 million to municipal preparedness in Finnmark, Northern Norway.
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As part of its High North strategy, the Norwegian Labor Party government is developing a national preparedness action zone in the counties of Troms and Finnmark.
Earlier this year, the Arctic Resilience Centre was established in Kirkenes, Finnmark. It will contribute to increased coordination of various state sectors' work on civil resilience and civil-military cooperation in the High North.
The centre will also facilitate stronger cooperation on total defense with Finland and Sweden. Through this, municipalities in the north will receive assistance in strengthening their preparedness efforts.
The government is now proposing to increase the centre's allocation by NOK 15 million in the 2027 national budget.
"The most important preparedness work takes place locally, where municipalities, emergency services, the Armed Forces, voluntary organisations and businesses plan, exercise and manage incidents together. We want to strengthen the centre so that it can support this cooperation and contribute knowledge, networks and practical solutions," says Minister of Justice and Public Security Astri Aas-Hansen (Labor).
To boost preparedness expertise
The government also wants to strengthen preparedness expertise and capacity in all municipalities in Finnmark, the county that borders Russia.
The scheme providing grants for preparedness work in the municipalities of Eastern Finnmark will therefore be extended to cover the entire county, and NOK 12 million will be allocated to it in 2027 under the proposed budget.
"The municipalities in Finnmark have limited resources to carry out systematic work on public safety and preparedness. Meeting statutory requirements is challenging. This challenge has greater national security policy significance in Finnmark than in most other parts of the country, "the proposed budget for the Ministry of Justice and Public Security reads.
Furthermore, the government will make the preparedness course for upper secondary school pupils in Finnmark permanent and extend the programme to Northern Troms.
The course gives pupils greater knowledge of public safety, preparedness and total defence through teaching and practical exercises.
More cross-border cooperation
Furthermore, the government is taking steps to strengthen preparedness in the north by investing in closer cooperation with Sweden and Finland.
It proposes contributing up to NOK 2,7 million to strengthen Nordic cooperation and work on international issues in the north, based on the aforementioned Arctic Resilience Centre.
At the same time, the government intends to wind up the Barents Council in consultation with the other member countries. This is justified by the fact that the council no longer meets current needs.
Russia withdrew from the council in 2023, and Finland did the same at the turn of 2025/2026.
Norway, Sweden and Finland are now in dialogue on organising cooperation among themselves in new ways, in which the counties and regions will have a clear role.
"After our Nordic neighbours became members of NATO, the conditions are even better for addressing common challenges together. Close cooperation between Norway, Sweden and Finland is important. We share geography, interests and challenges, and we are stronger when we develop solutions together," says Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide (Labor).
