News from Norden: An Important Nordic Political Arena
The Nordic response to the climate challenges was the main theme of the Nordic Council Session in Oslo 30 October to 1 November. The Nordic Prime Ministers also took the opportunity to move forward with joint Nordic measures on globalisation. Among the initiatives is a forum for freedom of movement to be led by the former ambassador and minister Ole Norrback from Finland.
In addition there was a debate on everything from local obstacles to freedom of movement in certain parts of the Nordic region to global foreign policy. In an editorial after the Session the newspaper "Aftenbladet’ in Stavanger wrote about Nordic co-operation:
"Internationalisation and the EU have reduced the importance of Nordic co-operation. However, it remains a co-operation which all the Nordic countries find advantageous, even in an international context. Therefore the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers will not go out of fashion. Or as a top Danish politician Niels Helveg Pedersen said a few years ago: "If we didn’t have Nordic co-operation we would have to invent it immediately".
This news is courtesy of Norden's Monthly Newsletter.
More information on this story as well as more Norden news can be found on their website.