Forests are a crucial natural resource in the Northern Sparsely Populated (NSPA) regions. The areas that the NSPA includes have a long history of sustainable forestry, and the forest sector has a central role in the national economies as well as contributing to the climate ambitions of the EU and the European bioeconomy.
On the 11th of September 2025, the NSPA adopted a position on the coming EU Strategy for Sustainable Tourism. The strategy aims to make tourism in Europe more sustainable and competitive, with better digital services, eco-friendly options and smoother cross-border trips, whilst also enhancing the experience for every traveller. The NSPA welcomes the European Commission’s ambition to make Europe the world's leading destination for sustainable and smart tourism, and are eager to contribute to a sustainable, regenerative and inclusive tourism future for all of Europe.
On 11–12 September, the NSPA Forum will be held in Örnsköldsvik, Västernorrland, Sweden. It is the yearly forum that gathers policymakers, officials, and stakeholders from the 14 regions in the network of Northern Sparsely Populated Areas (NSPA), to discuss common interests regarding EU policies of relevance for the European Arctic.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have adopted a comprehensive policy paper on the Northern Sparsely Populated Areas (NSPA), comprising 14 regions across Norway, Sweden, and Finland. The policy report, funded by the EU and regional governments, recommends enhanced east-west transport infrastructure, comprehensive digital connectivity, and place-based, targeted policies to strengthen regional resilience and economic diversification.
Regional representatives from the CPMR Baltic Sea Commission Arctic Working Group and the Northern Sparsely Populated Areas network are pleased to invite you to a side event of the EU Arctic Forum 2025 to discuss “EU Regional Policy in the Arctic regions: boosting EU competitiveness, clean industrialisation and security”. The seminar will take place on Wednesday 25 June, 15:00- 17:30 in Levi, Lapland.
On February 18, the launch of the report by the OECD, with funding from the European Commission, on the regions of the Northern Sparsely Populated Areas (NSPA) network took place. With around 100 participants, including stakeholders from the OECD, regional, and national EU representatives took part to reflect on the study and future developments for the NSPA regions.
On February 18th, the network for Northern Sparsely Populated Areas, NSPA, cordially invites to the official launch of the study on the NSPA, conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, with support from the EU Commission Technical Support Instrument.
The Northern Sparsely Populated Areas (NSPA), together with Scotland Europe, organised a joint event on the European Week of Regions and Cities. The event, “Building smart, resilient communities: adapting sparsely populated areas to a digital & green future”, took place in Brussels on 8th October and sought to gain understanding on how the digital and green transition could be further fostered in the sparsely populated areas of Finland, Norway, Sweden and Scotland, and what kind of challenges will need to be tackled to achieve this.
On 14–15 May, the EU Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) hosted the EU Arctic Forum and Indigenous Peoples' Dialogue in Brussels. The first day brought together representatives from EU institutions, researchers, politicians and entrepreneurs to discuss EU Arctic policy, geopolitical tensions, climate change and sustainable regional development in the Arctic. The second day aimed to integrate and listen to traditional and local knowledge and the experiences of indigenous peoples and youth into EU policies and international processes.
On the 13th of May, the Arctic Five and Northern Sparsely Populated Areas (NSPA) networks organised an event on the theme: Arctic perspectives in the EU research agenda. The event was held at the North Sweden/North Norway European Office in Brussels in connection with the EU Arctic Forum and the Indigenous Peoples' Dialogue. The seminar discussed the role of Arctic research in the transition the region is undergoing with the new geopolitical situation and the green transition.
