ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT FORUM OF THE NORDIC REGIONS IN MURMANSK 26 - 28 SEPTEMBER 2000

The Fifth Energy and Environment Forum of the Nordic Regions, which was the Sapphire Anniversary Forum was held in Murmansk. Over 300 people from Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Ireland and Germany participated in the forum.

In the seminar were solutions for e.g. international financing of energy saving projects and tightening of cooperation between Russians and Finns and the other Nordic countries in the field of energy saving and environmental protection were looked for. In the Forum the present situation and future prospects on going Tacis projects and other energy projects started by the Ecotech-Energy-50 association were reviewed.

In the seminar an Exhibition was also held, whose participants were mainly from Finland. The Exhibition was opened by the vicegovernor of Murmansk Mr. Gennadij Gurjanov. Assisting him was Head of Deparment from FinPro Mr. Harri Ilomäki.

The companies who participated in the Energy and Environment Technology exhibition held in connection with the Forum had a unique opportunity to get acquainted with decision-makers from Finland, Sweden, Norway and also from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Karelia, Murmansk, Omsk, Kaliningrad and Volgograd areas among others. The companies also had the opportunity to establish business relationships with them and to get to the core of the current situation in energy matters in Russia and the Nordic Countries.

The Forum was arranged in cooperation with the Murmansk Oblast, FinPro (the Finnish Foreign Trade Association), Association of North-West Russia and the Association Ecotech-Energy-50. FinPro and Planora Oy were responsible for the practical arrangements of the Forum.