Programme

Programme 17 March 2026

12.00-13.00 REGISTRATION AND LUNCH 

INTRODUCTION AND THE LARGER PERSPECTIVE

13.00–13.05 Introduction, Moderator Björn Hasselgren, Senior Advisor, Swedish Transport Administration 

13.05–13.10 Welcome to the Forum, Roberto Maiorana, Director General and Helena Eriksson, Regional Director Northern Region, Swedish Transport Administration

13.10–13.15 Introduction of Programme, Moderator Björn Hasselgren, Senior Advisor, Swedish Transport Administration and Co-Moderator Lotta Rönström, Senior Adviser, North Sweden European Office

13.15–13.20 Welcome to Luleå/Norrbotten, Carina Sammeli, Mayor, Municipality of Luleå

13.20–13.40 Transport and mobility in Europe – new challenges ahead, Martin Zeitler, Adviser ScanMed corridor and Jan Steinkohl, Adviser North Sea Baltic corridor, European Commission DG-MOVE 

13.40-13.50 SHORT BREAK

INTENSIFIED NORDIC COOPERATION

"The ambition of Platform North is to be an umbrella cooperation for exchange of information, to enhance a system perspective, and to coordinate and collaborate efforts for development, as there are several initiatives on-going within the Northern Nordics."

13.50-14.20 Ministers’ statement and panel discussion
Kari Wihlman, Director General, Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency
Jacob Vorren, State secretary,  Ministry of Transport, Norway
Ola Nordlander, Deputy Director-General, Ministry of Rural Affairs and Infrastructure, Sweden

PLATFORM NORTH

14.20-14.40 Information about Platform North, Helena Eriksson, Regional Director Northern Region, Swedish Transport Administration

14.40-14.55 Platform North Memorandum of understanding (MoU), Helena Eriksson, Regional Director Northern Region, Swedish Transport Administration
Declare Platform North MoU signed from driving parts (National governmental authorities, Regional governmental authorities, Politically driven regions, Business representative organisations).
Short comments: Åsa Ågren Wikström, Vice Chair of the Regional Development Board, Region Västerbotten, Merete Nordheim, CEO, Bodø Business Forum and Pekka Rajala, Director Logistics, Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency

14.55 COFFEE 

15.30-16.00 Prioritized measures in Platform North
Joint transport plan and Digital map, Jussi Huotari, Transport System Specialist, Economic Development Centre of Lapland and Nils-Petter Rusånes, Senior Engineer, The Norwegian Public Road Administration
Financing, Henric Fuchs, Strategist, Region Västernorrland and Lotta Rönström, Senior Adviser, North Sweden European Office
New measures – Mentti, Ine Hilling, Head of Transport and Society Northern Region, The Norwegian Public Road Administration

ARCTIC PERSPECTIVE

16.00–16.20 The EU Arctic Policy Revision – Perspectives from NSPA, Janni Ekrem, Advisor, North Norway European Office and Jonas Andersson, Chair of the network of Northern Sparsley Populated Areas (NSPA)

16.20-16.40 Arctic outlook, Ingrid Dahl Hovland, Director General, The Norwegian Public Road Administration

MILITARY MOBILITY

16.40–17.00 Transport infrastructure for military mobility, P-O Norell, Lieutenant colonel, Swedish Armed Forces    

17.00 End of day, Björn Hasselgren, Moderator

19:00 MINGLE

19.30-22.00 CONFERENCE DINNER

Draft Programme 18 March 2026

COMPETITIVENESS, PREPAREDNESS AND INDUSTRIAL GREEN TRANSITION

08.15-08.30  Reflections from day 1, Björn Hasselgren, Moderator and Roberto Maiorana, Director General, Swedish Transport Administration 

Testing facilities

08.30–08.50 Arctic test arena - Strengthening Nordic Cooperation and Resilient Railways, Ann Kristin Bjerknes, Project Leader, Arctic Test Arena – Ofotbanen and Malmbanan, Norwegian Railway Directorate  

Civil and military preparedness

08.50–09.10 Nordic Transport Preparedness Cooperation (NTPC) strategy, Hannu Hakkarainen, Manager, Civil Preparedness, Finnish Transport and Communications Agency 

09.10-09.20 SHORT BREAK

Business life development

09.20–09.40 European rail gauge in Finland, Kaisa Kuukasjärvi, Ministry of Transport and Communications in Finland

09.40–10.00 Industrial needs for road and rail transportation systems - the Norwegian perspective, Merete Nordheim, CEO, Bodø Business Forum and  Børge Beisvåg, Head of business policy and communication, Mid-Norway Chamber of Commerce and Industry

10.00–10.30 COFFEE

Energy in transport

10.30–10.50 Energy in relation to transport hubs, David Daniels, Senior Researcher, Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI)

Funding

10.50–11.10 Funding and financing, Claus Eberhard, Lead Economist, Projects Directorate, European Investment Bank (EIB) 

REFLECTION

11.10-11.20 Reflections from the EU level, Martin Zeitler, Adviser ScanMed corridor and Jan Steinkohl, Adviser North Sea Baltic corridor, European Commission DG-MOVE 

11.20–11.50 Reflections - panel discussion of future collaboration
Sweden: Jonny Lundin, Regional Councillor of Västernorrland
Norway: Richard Dagsvik, Executive for Transportation, Nordland Fylkeskommune,
Jan Frederik Geiner, Department Director Studies, Insights and Sustainability, Norwegian Railway Directorate
Finland: Hanna Baas, Vice-director, Lapland Chamber of Commerce

ROTATION FROM SWEDEN OF PLATFORM NORTH CHAIRSHIP TO NORWAY

11.50 Closing remarks from the present Swedish and new Norwegian Chairs
Helena Eriksson, Regional Director Northern Region, Swedish Transport Administration and Ine Hilling, Head of Transport and Society Northern Region, The Norwegian Public Road Administration

12.00 LUNCH