Városok a geopolitikában : Rovaniemi az Arktisz geopolitikájában

• Main Author: Németh, Viktória
• Format: Text
• Language: Hungarian
• Published: Egyesület Közép-Európa Kutatására, Szegedi Tudományegyetem Juhász Gyula Pedagógusképző Kar 2019
• Subjects: Arctic; Rovaniemi; Arktis*; Lapland
• Online Access: http://acta.bibl.u-szeged.hu/68082/; http://acta.bibl.u-szeged.hu/68082/1/kek_046_197-211.pdf

The next study examines the international political role of cities through the example of the city of Rovaniemi, Finland. In the past decades, Rovaniemi has sought to become an inevitable actor in its Arctic affairs. It has not become only a venue for international political negotiations, but it has been able to provide permanent participation in the negotiation of Arctic affairs. The city’s university and its scientific research centre became a main tool in its international activity. The Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS, the so-called Finnish Initiative)1 was signed in Rovaniemi. The creation of international network of universities and research centres in the Arctic has been initiated by the local university. The town has also become a prominent destination for Arctic tourism. Its name is closely intertwined with the Arctic, as the gateway to the region. In my research, I have used several disciplines’ approach, including geopolitics, international relations and local history. Thanks to the Tempus Public Foundation’s Campus Mundi scholarship, I was able to conduct research at the University of Lapland, in Rovaniemi. The activity of Rovaniemi is an example, how a city can associate its name with a highlighted affair in international politics. This status increased the importance of the place at international level and contributed to the economic growth of the city.