From 27 to 30 October, the 77th Session of the Nordic Council took place at the Swedish Parliament, the Riksdag – the largest annual political summit in the Nordic Region. The session brought together prime ministers, ministers and parliamentarians from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, as well as representatives from the Åland, Greenland and Faroe Islands.
This year’s theme “Nordics, together – Nordic values and cohesion in troubled times”, highlighted the importance of strengthening security, trust, competitiveness and democracy across the region and Europe. As a distinguished guest, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addressed the plenary, underlining the Nordic countries’ crucial role in Europe’s unity, security and the green transition.
Latvia was mentioned several times during the session – for its contribution to regional security, support for Ukraine and for cooperation on a ministerial level with the Nordic countries in digitalisation and culture. Particular attention was given to Latvia’s participation in the newly established Nordic–Baltic Centre for Artificial Intelligence (New Nordics AI), inaugurated on 22 October in Stockholm. One of its first initiatives will be the creation of a Nordic language model network to protect regional languages and cultural identity in the digital era. At the Session, the Baltic Assembly was represented by President Jānis Vucāns and Vice President Giedrius Drukteinis.
At the Session, the Nordic Council has decided to take a historic step towards more inclusive and modern co-operation. A change to the rules of procedure now gives Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland permanent seats on the Presidium – the Nordic Council’s senior body between the annual sessions. It means that the three countries will participate on an equal footing with Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden in the key decisions that shape Nordic co-operation.
“This isn’t just a change on paper. It is about sharing responsibility for co-operation and making it reflect the Nordic Region of today, a region characterised by equality, respect and collective responsibility,” said Henrik Møller (Denmark), member of the Nordic Council Presidium, when he presented the proposal.
During the week, Nordic heads of government reaffirmed their commitment to Vision 2030 – to make the Nordic region the world’s most sustainable and integrated region. Traditionally, the upcoming Nordic Council of Ministers presidency programme was also presented. Following the principle of rotation, Denmark and the Faroe Islands are taking over the Presidency from Finland and Åland. Next year’s motto – “Strong ties in changing times.”
Recordings of plenary sessions and debates are available at www.norden.org.
Photos: norden.org and Regeringskansliet
