The Kiruna Declaration 4.0 – a common voice for northern Sweden in Europe

When the Europaforum Northern Sweden gathered in Kiruna on 7-8 May 2026, the meeting ended with the adoption of a new direction of will: the Kiruna Declaration 4.0. It is an important milestone in strengthening northern Sweden's voice in the EU.

Kiruna has long been a place for political choices linked to northern Sweden, the Arctic and the development of the EU. Already in 2009, during Sweden's EU presidency, the concept of territorial potential was highlighted and contributed to the development of EU regional policy.

In 2013, the Arctic Council highlighted that the Arctic is a living region. And in 2023, Sweden resumed its EU presidency in Kiruna, where the Political Bureau of the Committee of the Regions adopted a declaration to strengthen Europe's northern sparsely populated areas. Kiruna Declaration 4.0 builds on this tradition.

A common direction in changing times

The declaration serves as a strategic compass for the continued work within the political network Europaforum Norra Sverige. In a situation where the EU is negotiating the future budget and competitiveness, coordination is becoming increasingly important. The declaration formulates common principles for, among other things, regional development, energy and infrastructure.

– There are many issues to monitor and it is about being quick. We are responding to some by creating so-called positions in our working groups within Europaforum Northern Sweden. The declaration is an opportunity for us to capture a broader perspective that can guide us in our continued work, says Anders Öberg.

Anders Öberg provided background to the Kiruna Declaration.

An open process with broad participation

The process has been characterized by participation. During the forum, participants were invited to contribute through a democracy square, where perspectives from politics, business, academia and civil society were taken into account.

– It creates participation and ensures that important perspectives are not lost, but can be included in the continued work, says Anders Öberg.

Commitment is seen as a strength in advocacy work.

– The dialogue broadens our perspectives and makes us stronger as we drive change in the region, says Jonas Andersson (S), chairman of Europaforum Northern Sweden.

Jonas Andersson (S), Region Jämtland Härjedalen, presented the completed proposal, which was then adopted by acclamation.

At the same time, the work of completing the declaration has been about prioritizing the overall.

– We appreciate all the fantastic input. We will still take care of things that are not directly in the text and take them forward in other ways, states Jonas Andersson.

In a time of great change, the declaration provides a clear direction: the development of all of Europe also begins in its northernmost parts.