Nordic Council
Nordic Council
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![]() Member states shown in dark blue; and regions of member states shown in light blue. | |
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Secretariat Headquarters | ![]() |
Official languages | [1] |
Type | Inter-parliamentary institution |
Membership | 5 sovereign states 2 autonomous territories 1 autonomous region |
Leaders | |
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• President | ![]() |
• Vice-President | ![]() |
Establishment | |
• Inauguration of the Nordic Council | 12 February 1953 |
1 July 1962 | |
• Inauguration of the Nordic Council of Ministers | July 1971 |
Area | |
• Total | 6,187,000 km2 (2,389,000 sq mi) |
Population | |
• 2019 estimate | 27.5 million |
• Density | 4.4/km2 (11.4/sq mi) |
GDP (PPP) | 2018 estimate |
• Total | US$1.6 trillion |
• Per capita | US$62,900 |
GDP (nominal) | 2018 estimate |
• Total | US$1.7 trillion |
• Per capita | US$65,800 |
Currency | |
Website www |
Part of a series on |
Scandinavia |
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The Nordic Council is the official body for formal inter-parliamentary Nordic cooperation among the
In 1971, the
History
During World War II, Denmark and Norway were occupied by Germany; Finland was under assault by the Soviet Union; while Sweden, though neutral, still felt the war's effects. Following the war, the Nordic countries pursued the idea of a Scandinavian defence union to ensure their mutual defence. However, Finland, due to its Paasikivi–Kekkonen policy of neutrality and FCMA treaty with the USSR, could not participate.
It was proposed that the Nordic countries would unify their foreign policy and defence, remain neutral in the event of a conflict and not ally with NATO, which some were planning at the time. The United States, keen on getting access to bases in Scandinavia and believing the Nordic countries incapable of defending themselves, stated it would not ensure military support for Scandinavia if they did not join NATO. As Denmark and Norway sought US aid for their post-war reconstruction, the project collapsed, with Denmark, Norway and Iceland joining NATO as founding members.[9] Finland and Sweden joined NATO in 2023 and 2024, respectively, following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Further Nordic co-operation, such as an economic customs union, also failed. This led
On 2 July 1954, the Nordic labour market was created and in 1958, building upon a 1952 passport-free travel area, the
This move towards the EEC led to desire for a formal Nordic treaty. The Helsinki Treaty outlined the workings of the council and came into force on 24 March 1962. Further advancements on Nordic cooperation were made in the following years: a Nordic School of Public Health, a Nordic Cultural Fund, and Nordic House in Reykjavík were created. Danish Prime Minister Hilmar Baunsgaard proposed full economic cooperation ("Nordek") in 1968. Nordek was agreed in 1970, but Finland then backtracked, stating that its ties with the Soviet Union meant it could not form close economic ties with potential members of the EEC (Denmark and Norway).[13] Nordek was then abandoned.
As a consequence, Denmark and Norway applied to join the EEC and the Nordic Council of Ministers was set up in 1971 to ensure continued Nordic cooperation.[15] In 1970 representatives of the Faroe Islands and Åland were allowed to take part in the Nordic Council as part of the Danish and Finnish delegations.[13] Norway turned down EEC membership in 1972 while Denmark acted as a bridge builder between the EEC and the Nordics.[16] Also in 1973, although it did not opt for full membership of the EEC, Finland negotiated a free trade treaty with the EEC that in practice removed customs duties from 1977 on, although there were transition periods up to 1985 for some products. Sweden did not apply due to its non-alliance policy, which was aimed at preserving neutrality. Greenland subsequently left the EEC and has since sought a more active role in circumpolar affairs.
In the 1970s, the Nordic Council founded the
Following the
The Nordic Council became more outward-looking, to the
Organisation
Council
The Nordic Council consists of 87 representatives, elected from its members' parliaments and reflecting the relative representation of the political parties in those parliaments. It holds its main session in the autumn, while a so-called "theme session" is arranged in the spring. Each of the national delegations has its own secretariat in the national parliament. The autonomous territories – Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Åland – also have Nordic secretariats.[21]
The Council does not have any formal power on its own, but each government has to implement any decisions through its national legislature. With all countries being members of NATO, the Nordic Council has not been involved in any military cooperation.
Council of Ministers
The original Nordic Council concentrates on inter-parliamentary cooperation. The Nordic Council of Ministers, founded in 1971, is responsible for intergovernmental cooperation. Prime Ministers have ultimate responsibility but this is usually delegated to the Minister for Nordic Cooperation and the Nordic Committee for Co-operation, which coordinates the day-to-day work. The autonomous territories have the same representation as states.[22] The Nordic Council of Ministers has offices in the Baltic countries.[23]
Secretary General
Languages
The Nordic Council uses the three Continental
On 31 October 2018, the council established it has five official languages, giving Finnish and Icelandic equal status with Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish from 1 January 2020 onward. While the working languages of the council's secretariat remain the three Scandinavian languages, the Council emphasised that the secretariat must include personnel with comprehensive understanding of Finnish and Icelandic as well. The then-President of the Council Michael Tetzschner thought the compromise good but also expressed concern over the change's expenses and hoped they would not increase so much that there would be pressure to switch over to using English.[26][27]
Work
Language understanding
The Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers have a particular focus on strengthening the Nordic language community; the main focus of their work to promote language understanding in the Nordic countries is on children and young people's understanding of written and oral Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, the three mutually intelligible
Location
The Nordic Council and the Council of Ministers have their headquarters in Copenhagen and various installations in each separate country, as well as many offices in neighbouring countries. The headquarters are located at Ved Stranden No. 18, close to Slotsholmen.
Members
List of members
The Nordic Council has five full members (which are sovereign states) and three associate members (which are self-governing regions of full member states).
Member name | Symbols | Parliament | Membership | Membership status | Members | Represented since | EFTA/EU/EEA relation | |
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Arms | Flag | |||||||
Finland | ![]() |
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Eduskunta (Riksdagen) | full | sovereign state | 20 (each) | 1955 | ![]() EEA member |
Sweden | ![]() |
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Riksdag | 1952 | ||||
Denmark | ![]() |
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Folketing | |||||
Norway | ![]() |
![]() |
Storting | ![]() EEA member | ||||
Iceland | ![]() |
![]() |
Alþingi |
7 | ||||
Greenland | ![]() |
![]() |
Inatsisartut
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associate | self-governing regions of Denmark | 2 (each) out of Denmark's 20 | 1984 | OCT
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Faroe Islands | ![]() |
![]() |
Løgting | 1970 | minimal | |||
Åland | ![]() |
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Lagting | self-governing region of Finland | 2 out of Finland's 20 | ![]() |
List of representatives
As of December 2021[update][29]
Party groups
The Nordic Council comprises the following party groups:
Name | Abbr. | Founded | Ideology | Political Group | Nordic Council |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Centre Group | MG | 1983 | Liberalism Christian democracy Green politics (Nordic) Agrarianism |
Renew, Greens/EFA, EPP Group | 24 / 87
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Conservative Group | Conservatism Liberal conservatism Economic liberalism |
EPP Group | 13 / 87
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Nordic Freedom | NF | 2012 | Right-wing populism National conservatism Euroscepticism |
ECR, PfE | 8 / 87
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Nordic Green Left Alliance | NGLA | 2004 | The Left, Greens/EFA
|
11 / 87
| |
The Social Democratic Group | S-Norden | Social democracy | S&D | 26 / 87
|
Observer, guests and other cooperation with neighbouring countries and regions
In accordance with § 13 of the Rules of Procedure for the Nordic Council the
The Nordic Council of Ministers has established four Offices outside the Nordic Region: In Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.[8] The offices form part of the secretariat of the Nordic Council of Ministers; according to the Council of Ministers their primary mission is to promote cooperation between the Nordic countries and the Baltic states and to promote the Nordic countries in cooperation with their embassies within the Baltic states.[32]
The Nordic Council and the Council of Ministers also define Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia as "Adjacent Areas" and has formal cooperation with them under the Adjacent Areas policies framework.
The Nordic Council had historically been a strong supporter of Baltic independence from the Soviet Union. During the move towards independence in the Baltic States in 1991, Denmark and Iceland pressed for the Observer Status in the Nordic Council for the then-nonsovereign Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The move in 1991 was opposed by Norway and Finland. The move was heavily opposed by the Soviet Union, accusing the Nordic Council of getting involved in its internal affairs.[33] In the same year, the Nordic Council refused to give observer status for the three, at the time nonsovereign, Baltic states.[34]
While the Nordic Council rejected the Baltic states' application for formal observer status, the council nevertheless has extensive cooperation on different levels with all neighbouring countries, including the Baltic states and Germany, especially the state of Schleswig-Holstein. Representatives of Schleswig-Holstein were present as informal guests during a session for the first time in 2016. The state has historical ties to Denmark and cross-border cooperation with Denmark and has a
The
Three of the members of the Nordic Council (Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, all
Following the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, the Finnish member of Parliament Mikko Kärnä announced he would launch an initiative at the Nordic council to grant Scotland observer status.[39] Scotland's relationship with the Nordics has also been explored by Scottish journalist Anthony Heron, who would go on to interview Bertel Haarder on the topic.[40]
Nordic unification
Some desire the Nordic Council's promotion of Nordic cooperation to go much further than at present. If the states of Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland were to merge in such an integration as some desire, it would command a gross domestic product of US$1.60 trillion, making it the twelfth largest economy in the world, larger than that of Australia, Spain, Mexico, or South Korea. Gunnar Wetterberg, a Swedish historian and economist, wrote a book entered into the Nordic Council's year book that proposes the creation of a Nordic Federation from the Council in a few decades.[41][42]
See also
- Arctic Cooperation and Politics
- Baltic Assembly
- Baltic region
- Baltoscandia
- Benelux
- Council of the Baltic Sea States
- Council of Europe
- Council of the European Union
- European Political Community
- European Parliament
- Federalism in the United Kingdom
- Frugal Four
- Kalmar Union
- Nordic-Baltic Eight
- Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize
- Nordic Council Environment Prize
- Nordic Council Film Prize
- Nordic Council Music Prize
- Nordic Council's Literature Prize
- Nordic identity in Estonia
- Nordic Passport Union
- Nordic Summer University
- Nordic Youth Council
- North Sea Empire
- West Nordic Council
References
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- ^ a b "information about the 2023 presidency on the council website". Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
- ^ "The Nordic Council". Nordic cooperation. Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ^ a b "The Nordic languages". Nordic cooperation. Archived from the original on 5 September 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
- ^ "Language". 6 August 2008. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
- ^ ERR (22 June 2017). "Ratas meets with Benelux, Nordic, Baltic leaders in the Hague". ERR. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
- ISBN 9781317626954
- ^ a b Offices outside the Nordic Region Archived 17 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Nordic Council of Ministers.
- European Navigator. Étienne Deschamps. Translated by the CVCE.
- ^ Before 1952 Archived 30 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Nordic Council
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- ^ "The history of the Nordic Council". Nordic Council. Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d e 1953–1971 Finland joins in and the first Nordic rights are formulated. Archived 30 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Nordic Council
- ^ Curt Olsson (1956). "Finlands lagstiftning 1955" (in Swedish). Svensk juristtidning. Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ The period up to 1971 Archived 20 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Nordic Council of Ministers
- ^ a b 1972–1989 Archived 20 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Nordic Council of Ministers
- ^ a b After 1989 Archived 20 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Nordic Council of Ministers
- ^ "Further Icelandic support for EU membership | IceNews – Daily News". Icenews.is. 3 November 2008. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
- ^ "Iceland drops EU membership bid: 'interests better served outside' union". The Guardian. 12 March 2015. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ^ Rapport över ändringar i de nordiska avtalen efter 1 januari 1995, i synnerhet ur ett EU-rättsligt perspektiv Archived 4 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine Norden
- ^ "About the Nordic Council". Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
- ^ "The Nordic Council of Ministers". Archived from the original on 30 September 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
- ^ "Nordic Council of Ministers' Baltic offices | Nordic cooperation". www.norden.org. Archived from the original on 21 August 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ "Norden". 11 September 2009. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 4 March 2002.
- ^ [1] Archived 28 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Stärkt position för finskan och isländskan i Nordiska rådet" (in Swedish). 31 October 2018. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
- ^ "Suomen ja islannin kielen asema vahvistuu Pohjoismaiden neuvostossa" (in Finnish). 31 October 2018. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
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- ^ "Members of the Nordic Council | Nordic cooperation". www.norden.org. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
- from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- ^ "About the Sessions of the Nordic Council". norden.org. Nordic Co-operation. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- ^ Planer och budget 2016. Nordic Council of Ministers. p. 71.
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- ^ "Schleswig-Holstein for the first time uses its observer status in the Nordic Council". landtag.ltsh.de (in German). Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein. 1 November 2016. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016.
- ^ "Election of observational members to the Nordic Council" (PDF). landtag.ltsh.de. Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein. 3 November 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022.
- ^ "The Faroe Islands apply for membership in the Nordic Council and Nordic Council of Ministers". norden.org. Nordic Co-operation. 18 October 2016. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ^ "Ratas meets with Benelux, Nordic, Baltic leaders in the Hague". ERR.ee. 22 June 2017. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
- ^ Richards, Xander (8 May 2021). "We'll try to get Scotland observer status on Nordic Council, Finnish MP tells SNP". thenational.scot. Newsquest Media Group Ltd. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ Heron, Anthony (1 June 2022). "Former Nordic Council chief talks Scotland's global future". The National. Archived from the original on 14 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- EU Observer
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External links