Speech by Minister of Education Anders Adlercreutz, responsible for Nordic cooperation, at the 2026 Annual Meeting of Heads of Mission
"The Nordic region is perhaps the world's strongest regional brand. We should be able to make even better use of it than we do today. Our goal is clear: we want to make the Nordics the world's most integrated region," says Minister of Education Anders Adlercreutz, responsible for Nordic cooperation.
Distinguished Ambassadors,
It is a pleasure to be again here at the Annual Meeting of Heads of Mission as the minister responsible for Nordic cooperation. I have met many of you during my travels this year, and I would like to thank warmly all Foreign Service staff here in Finland and around the world for the important work you do.
I appreciate this opportunity to talk about current matters in Nordic cooperation. Finland’s and Åland’s co-presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers last year stood out in many ways. As a whole, the co-presidency was a success. It was the result of broad-based cooperation between the Finnish Government, other Finnish authorities and organisations, the Government of Åland and many other partners.
This year, Finland is holding the presidency of the Nordic Council, which the forum for Nordic parliamentary cooperation. At the end of October, the spotlight of Nordic cooperation will be on the Finnish Parliament when the Nordic Council holds its Ordinary Session here in Helsinki. Promoting Nordic cooperation requires well-functioning cooperation and constructive dialogue between the Nordic governments and the Nordic Council. Our consecutive presidencies have only accentuated the importance of this. We could, of course, carry on for a couple of more years now that we have gotten into our stride, but perhaps it's time to pass on the baton without any hassle.
Dear friends,
The present state of democracy has been an important theme in many discussion events in Finland and across the Nordic region this spring and summer. How can we foster social trust when it is being undermined in various ways and when many feel it has already become weaker? The Nordic Council of Ministers and SuomiAreena published a survey on social trust in Finland which found that Finns still have a high level of trust on the other Nordic countries. Most of the respondents reported that Nordic cooperation boosts their confidence in the future.
While the survey is a clear indication of the trust Finns have on the Nordic countries and their cooperation, it also reveals the high expectations Finns have for Nordic cooperation. Nevertheless, it shows us a clear way forward and encourages us to further hone Nordic cooperation so that it is better prepared for the challenges we are facing in our time and in the future.
In recent years, children’s and young people’s outlook on the future has been shaken in many ways, including by the pandemic, the evolving security environment, climate change and economic uncertainty. Finland has advocated for the importance of improving the wellbeing and inclusion of children and young people at the Nordic forum and argued that it is one of the keystones of a socially sustainable Nordic region.
Digitalisation is among the topics related to children and young people currently being discussed in Nordic cooperation: how we should be helping children and young people navigate the digital world and protecting them from the harmful content on digital platforms. It is important that technological advances support and promote the wellbeing and learning of children and young people across the Nordic countries.
Dear friends,
The importance of Nordic unity has become emphasised in recent years, partly because of the rapid changes in international politics. The Government Report on Changes in the Foreign and Security Policy Environment, published in the spring, recognises the growing importance of Nordic cooperation. The fact that Nordic countries are Finland’s closest partners is more evident now than ever before. Nordic cooperation has intensified significantly and is a priority not only in Finland but also in the other Nordic countries.
It is now easier to further deepen Nordic defence cooperation because all the Nordic countries are now NATO Allies. The Nordic countries agree that a key issue for European security is the full-scale war of aggression Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years now. That is why we continue our long-term support for Ukraine. The Nordic countries are significant supporters of Ukraine in terms of their economic size.
Security and resilience in the Nordic region is not only about having well-prepared armed forces and police and border authorities. The whole of the central government and other actors in society must also contribute. Building resilience is a long-term project that takes years to achieve and needs constant attention.
For us Finns, the basis for resilience in society is comprehensive security, while for the Swedes it is total defence. In the Nordic context, this concept is called societal security, and Finland has long been advocating its inclusion as one element of Nordic cooperation. Indeed, in recent years societal security has emerged has a topical theme in many sectors, including in the form of energy security, efficient electricity networks and reliable telecommunications connections. The Nordic countries have strong expertise in the field of preparedness, and by working together we can further improve our ability to keep society going even in a crisis.
Last year during Finland’s and Åland’s co-presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers, we took societal security as one of our priorities, highlighting systematically throughout the year the concrete steps Nordic cooperation has taken in resilience and preparedness in different sectors. For example, the health sector, where preparedness cooperation is already well established, launched a Nordic–Baltic co-project, with funding from the Nordic Council of Ministers, to develop capabilities for cross-border medical evacuation.
For this work to continue it is significant that Denmark and the Faroe Islands, as the co-presidents of the Nordic Council of Ministers this year, followed Finland’s example and took societal security and preparedness as one of their priorities. In addition, Finland’s presidency of the Nordic Council has as one of its priorities Nordic comprehensive security, allowing us to seek synergies and further deepen the close cooperation we have in this field to promote security in the Nordic region.
Dear friends,
Nordic cooperation is guided by the vision to make the Nordic region the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. One of the key strategic priorities of this vision is Nordic competitiveness. Our countries are small in the global context, but together we are an economically strong region. Our population is highly educated, our research is world-class, and our companies are innovative.
It is important that we continue to invest in research, innovation and new technologies. There are great opportunities in artificial intelligence, quantum technology, clean energy and sustainable digitalisation, and the Nordic countries have the potential to lead the way responsibly at the global level.
At the same time, we are witnessing the ever-increasing global competition for technologies, investment and expertise. Nordic competitiveness and the ability of Nordic companies to compete in international markets play an essential role in ensuring the development of Finnish business and safeguarding wellbeing in Finnish society.
The Nordic countries are strong and well-placed to take the lead even at the European level in our efforts to build a stronger Europe. At the initiative of Denmark’s and the Faroe Islands’ co-presidency, the Nordic Council of Ministers has started preparations for a report on Nordic competitiveness.
The report will focus on how Nordic competitiveness has contributed to wellbeing, the green transition and social cohesion. It will also discuss innovative capacity, entrepreneurship, digitalisation, administrative barriers, energy prices and the clean transition, economic resilience and the Nordic countries as an integrated region, among other topics. I look forward to this report, nicknamed the Nordic Draghi report, and to the discussions we will have on its results later this autumn.
Dear friends,
Freedom of movement between the Nordic countries is at the heart of Nordic cooperation. Our goal is clear: we want to make the Nordic region the most integrated region in the world. Nordic residents must be able to live, study, work, set up businesses and cross borders between the Nordic countries as easily as possible. Free movement of people and a well-functioning Nordic labour market are also important drivers of competitiveness.
It is important that we continue our determined efforts to dismantle barriers between the Nordic countries to foster free movement. This has always been an important topic for Finland, and we have been keen to highlight how important it is to prevent any new cross-border barriers from emerging, for example, when reforming our legislation.
In the Nordic context, a topical priority is the cross-border barriers associated with the matching of identities and the use of electronic services that undermine people’s free movement in our digitalised societies. A key question in this respect is the need to improve the exchange of population data between the Nordic countries. Finland is prepared to continue its determined efforts to ensure the availability of cross-border electronic services and identification. The forthcoming solutions at the EU level are unlikely to remove all the relevant cross-border barriers, which is why we need Nordic cooperation.
Dear friends,
We are still discussing the possibilities of reforming the Helsinki Treaty, which is the legal framework for Nordic cooperation. The discussion was initiated by the Nordic Council. A study, commissioned by the Nordic governments from Professor Elina Pirjatanniemi at Åbo Akademi University to study the legal implications of the reform was completed at the turn of the year. On a proposal of Denmark and the Faroe Islands in March, the Nordic governments decided to set up a commission to examine ways of strengthening the status of Åland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland in Nordic cooperation. The commission is now hard at work. Finland stresses the importance of a legal basis. We have felt it particularly important to ensure Nordic unity in today’s geopolitical environment. Finland wants to focus on modernising the elements of Nordic cooperation that can bring concrete benefits and added value to the Nordic people.
Distinguished Ambassadors,
As heads of missions, you are in a key position to reflect on the opportunities the Nordic brand and Nordic cooperation can create for Finland across the world. You are experts in networking, and you know where and how Nordic cooperation can create benefits in your respective host countries. It brings me joy that so many missions have tapped into the support granted by the Nordic Council of Ministers to Nordic cooperation projects in host countries outside the Nordic region. Our Nordic colleagues are often our closest partners even across the world.
In the end, Nordic cooperation is about cooperation between people, and its real effects and importance is seen in the people’s everyday life. Nordic cooperation means that students can study in other Nordic countries or that researchers can create new scientific knowledge in Nordic joint projects. We can see the benefits of Nordic cooperation in our civil society, culture and sports.
A while ago I mentioned in a speech that perhaps it’s time for a Kalmar Union 2.0 – not to reinstate a single Nordic monarch or to relocate our capitals, that part of our history we can put behind us. But I believe that we really could benefit from an even closer cooperation; the kind of cooperation that you, our diplomats, often exercise around the world in all that we do together with our Nordic friends.
The Nordic region is perhaps the world’s strongest regional brand. We should be able to capitalise on it to a greater extent than we do today. What if we succeeded in creating the world’s most integrated region for work, education and innovation? What if we built bridges instead of walls? We would show the power of cooperation in a world of divisions, and we would choose to trust in the future in an era of fear.
In the end, the success of the Nordic region depends on our ability to join forces and find solutions to the big questions of our time. I am convinced that we have that ability even in coming years.
Thank you.