The present study was commissioned by the Executive Committee for Northern Norway, as an extension of the Study on Northern peripheral, sparsely populated Regions in the
European Union (Nordregio report 2005:4), so as to take into account Norwegian regions facing similar challenges as those that have previously been described in Finland and
Sweden.
This previous report was commissioned by the North Finnish (Lapland, Northern Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia and Central Finland), East Finnish (Kainuu, North Karelia, Pohjois-Savo and Etelä-Savo) and North Swedish (Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Jämtland, Västernorrland) regions.
The purpose of the study is to make an assessment on the socio-economic impacts of low population density, peripherality and cold climate in the Northern and Eastern regions of Finland, the Northern regions of Norway and in the Northern regions of Sweden.