Nordic Council Session 2024 in Reykjavík

Between October 28 and 31, the annual session of the Nordic Council was held in Reykjavík, Iceland. Although the main theme of the session was peace and security in the Arctic, security in the Europe was high on the agenda with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the democratic opposition in Belarus, addressing members of the Council.

The Nordic Region faces multiple challenges. Geopolitical tensions close to our part of the world, the climate crisis, threats to biodiversity and the environment, the digital revolution, ageing populations and poor well-being among young people all call for close working relationships between the Nordic countries and their partners. The 76^th Session of the Nordic Council held in the Icelandic parliament, the Althing, and Reykjavík City Hall, was addressing most of the listed matters under the main theme “Peace and Security in the Arctic”.

The Nordic Council Session and Nordic Summit gathered Nordic parliamentarians, Nordic prime ministers, heads of government, ministers and international guests to address numerous challenges faced by the Nordic region, Europe and the world. Latvian National Television was present at the Session and covered the event for the Latvian audience. Links to the coverage in media (in Latvian) are provided at the end of this article.

Besides discussions on the best way to ensure peace and security in the Arctic and the Nordic Region, specific initiatives were outlined for improving regional crisis preparedness and defense. Moreover, several reports and the Nordic Council of Ministers’ budget for 2025 were discussed. The intense work programme envisaged also Nordic Council’s parliamentarians to consider and adopt several recommendations to the Nordic governments for closer Nordic co-operation on areas such as welfare, research, culture, growth, development and sustainability. The Nordic Co-operation Programme for the Ministers of Co-operation that will guide inter-governmental work until 2030 was also presented at the Session.

Proposal to update Helsinki Treaty

Initiative by the Nordic Council to update the Helsinki Treaty – the key document outlining the co-operation between Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, signed in 1962 and last amended in 1996 – gained a lot of attention at the Session. It was widely supported by the parliamentarians recognising the need for co-operation to evolve with the times, reflect developments in the Nordic countries and make the work more relevant and topical. The proposal stresses the need for clearer wording about the role of official Nordic co-operation in promoting Nordic values and views in the EU and EEA. It also calls for more binding wording about working together on drafting and implementing new rules. The proposal will now be considered at national level, and the governments will submit a joint response via the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Speeches by the international guests

With the war in Ukraine being topical on the agenda by the Nordic parliamentarians, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was invited to give a keynote speech on Tuesday, 29 October, at the Iceland’s packed parliament building, the Alþingi.

“I’m grateful for the Nordic countries’ unwavering support for Ukraine, support that is among the strongest in the world, and which I hope will continue with even closer co-operation,” said Zelenskyy.

With the war still raging in Ukraine, he feels it’s time to strengthen ties even further by admitting Ukraine as a member of the EU and NATO. Time is of the essence for Zelenskyy, who ended his speech by talking about the tens of thousands of children taken into Russia from the occupied Ukrainian territories and are now being told Putin’s version of events. “It’s time to bring them home,” President Zelenskyy concluded.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the democratic opposition in Belarus, was the second international guest speaker at the Session. In her speech on Wednesday, 30 October, she explained idea behind her claim that Belarus belongs in the European family of nations and highlighted the role of Belarus in the future security of Europe.

In her speech, Tsikhanouskaya thanked the Nordic countries for their support:

“Through dark days, you always stood by us. You not only spoke of solidarity – you showed it. You believed in Belarusians long before the world started watching. We need Nordic support more than ever before. We need your powerful voice, your energy, your compassion, and solidarity to finish what we started back in 2020.”

Remarks by the President of the Nordic Council

In her remarks at the Session, President of the Nordic Council, Bryndís Haraldsdóttir, was clear on the importance of standing firm to protect Nordic values, standing in support to Ukraine and Belarus:

“We cannot be naive when it comes to security in the Arctic and the Nordic Region. We must resist attacks on the values that form the cornerstone of our societies in the Nordics – democracy, human rights, equality, and welfare. We need to remind ourselves that what’s happening in Ukraine, and to some extent Belarus, are attacks on our principal values. Listening to those who are fighting against such attacks is important, and we can only resist those who are trying to undermine democracy by standing united.”

During the Session, also the annual Nordic Council prize winners for 2024 were celebrated. The awards ceremony honoured achievements in five categories: literature, film, music, children’s and youth literature and environmental innovation. This is one of the most prestigious awards in the Nordics. The film award was given to director Dag Johan Haugerud for his film Sex, which was also screened at the Riga International Film Festival (Riga IFF) this October.

Sweden will take over the presidency of the Nordic Council in 2025. Title of the next year’s programme is “The Nordics together – the Nordic advantage and unity in troubled times”, focusing on the unity and day-to-day advantage for those living in the region.

Public sessions and press conferences held during the Session in Reykjavík were live-streamed. Video recordings are available on this external link on NORDEN.org.

Coverage by the Latvian National Television

On the Session

EVENING news (prime time): https://replay.lsm.lv/lv/ieraksts/ltv/340739/islande-notiek-ziemelvalstu-un-ukrainas-samits

DAILY news: https://replay.lsm.lv/lv/ieraksts/ltv/340668/islande-notiek-ziemelvalstu-un-ukrainas-samits

MORNING news: https://replay.lsm.lv/lv/ieraksts/ltv/340727/ziemelvalstis-kopa-cinisies-pret-noziedzibu-un-atbalstis-ukrainu

On support to Belarus

EVENING news (prime time): https://replay.lsm.lv/lv/ieraksts/ltv/340809/ziemelvalstis-palielina-atbalstu-baltkrievijas-opozicijai and https://youtu.be/nUqVoyiiUJg?si=5i0CQRT074n6pNYX

DAILY news: https://replay.lsm.lv/lv/ieraksts/ltv/340766/ziemelvalstis-palielina-atbalstu-baltkrievijas-opozicijai

Other topics on Iceland

Four-day work week (EVENING news, prime time): https://replay.lsm.lv/lv/ieraksts/ltv/341167/islande-veiksmigi-ievies-saisinato-darba-laiku and https://youtu.be/9HZqu9tyS3A?si=oPoZlp60g65BjO2Y

Living by the volcano – Grindavik story: TBA (in progress by the Latvian National Television).

Coverage in written outlets