The Bothnian Arc includes seven Swedish municipalities and five Finnish regional municipalities that in turn consist of 32 smaller municipal entities. Its members are Skellefteå, Piteå, Älvsbyn, Luleå, Boden, Kalix and Haparanda in Sweden, and Ylivieska, Raahe, Oulu, the Oulu Arc and Kemi-Tornio on the Finnish side. 610,000 people live within the Bothnian Arc region, more than half the population of northern Sweden and northern Finland. The Bothnian Arc is strategically located between the Baltic Sea Area and the Barents Region, linking both areas communication-wise, socially, culturally and economically. This region has the EU’s northernmost concentration of cutting-edge expertise in industry, and it is assuming an increasingly important role for development in both a European and global perspective. Not only does cooperation within the Bothnian Arc open new opportunities for creating a strong and competitive region, but it also contributes to the development of Europe’s entire far north.