As of January 1, 2025, Finland and Åland take over the presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. It aims to work for a united and strong Nordic Region, focusing on societal security and resilience, sustainability, competitiveness and children and young people. At the same time, until the end of 2025 Sweden takes on the presidency of the Nordic Council titled “The Nordics together – the Nordic advantage and unity in troubled times”.
The presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers is expected to improve the resilience of the Nordic countries and promote comprehensive and extensive preparedness for various crises and hybrid threats. The development of the Nordic countries’ resilience and capacity to act in the event of crises must be consistent, and all policy sectors must be taken into account in a coordinated manner in order to step up preparedness. The Nordic Region must be a strong player in Europe that can react quickly and efficiently to crises such as natural disasters, pandemics and organised crime.
Security of supply is the basis for a society’s comprehensive security. With this in mind, Finland wants to strengthen Nordic cooperation on security of supply and emergency preparedness. The security of food and energy supplies is an essential aspect of security of supply. Finland aims to create a Nordic security of supply network, the initial steps of which will be to evaluate various aspects of security of supply in the Nordic countries and determine what preparations are needed at the Nordic level, and to draft an action plan.
Trust plays an important role when it comes to both preventing and dealing with crises. Education, training and culture-based services support the civic knowledge and skills needed in a changing society. People’s health, wellbeing and functional capacity, alongside an equitable and democratic society and the prevention of marginalisation, underpin social stability and a sense of justice in society.
Together with Åland, Finland is promoting the rights of children and young people, as well as welfare and participation in the Nordic Region. Children’s rights must be protected by putting children’s best interests first, which also means strengthening the participation of children and young people in society.
The presidency programme mentions Baltic countries multiple times – in the context of digitalisation and cooperation in building a digital society and promoting mobility of professionals in the field of culture.
Ministers for Nordic Co-operation, Anders Adlercreutz and Annika Hambrudd:
'Regional efforts in neighbouring areas are continuously intensifying. We are very pleased to see that the Baltic countries are also becoming increasingly involved in Nordic cooperation. At the same time, efforts to profile the Nordic Region internationally are continuing, especially through the joint initiatives of Nordic embassies around the world.'
Additional reading:
Programme of Finnish presidency for the Nordic Council of Ministers 2025
Programme of Swedish presidency for the Nordic Council 2025
