Nordic cooperation

The Nordic countries are Finland’s closest international partners. The countries share a common security environment and similar values concerning democracy, openness and the welfare state. The long-standing cooperation between the Nordic countries enjoys wide political and public support. Cooperation takes place both between official organisations and unofficially, through civil society organisations, for example.

What is Nordic cooperation?

The Nordic countries share a common history and are joined by a similar culture and societal system, and the Nordic languages. The Nordic model is largely built on a tradition characterised by strong democracies, the rule of law, equality, freedom of expression, tolerance, active and participatory civil societies, sustainability, and determined climate action.

Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden as well as the Åland Islands, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, participate in Nordic cooperation. The Nordic and the Baltic countries have stepped up cooperation in recent years.

Already since the 1950s, the objective of Nordic cooperation has been free movement in the Nordic Region and a low threshold for citizens to live, study, work or do business across the Nordic region regardless of their home country. Current Nordic cooperation dates back to far earlier times, to cooperation between civil society organisations in the 19th century.

The Nordic countries have also cooperated in the area foreign and security policy for a long time. Over the past decades, the Nordic countries have collaborated in peacekeeping and crisis management missions and worked together to promote human rights. Nordic foreign, security and defence policy cooperation has deepened further in the past few years.

Vision 2030

In August 2019, the Nordic prime ministers announced a vision to make the Nordic region the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. The three priority areas where this aim is pursued are a green Nordic region, a competitive Nordic region and a socially sustainable Nordic region. The vision guides intergovernmental cooperation within the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Nordic Council and Nordic Council of Ministers

The main official bodies of Nordic cooperation are the Nordic Council founded in 1952 and the Nordic Council of Ministers founded in 1971. The legal basis of cooperation is the Treaty of Co-operation between Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, known as the Helsinki Treaty (1962), which has been amended several times. The most recent amendments entered into force in 1996.

The Presidency of the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers rotates annually among member countries.

The Nordic Council’s supreme decision-making body is the Plenary. The Ordinary Session is held every year at the turn of October and November in the country holding the presidency of the Nordic Council.

The Sessions are a forum where Nordic members of parliament discuss Nordic matters with the prime ministers and other ministers of the Nordic countries.

The Nordic Council of Ministers’ activities are divided into 14 policy areas, and it has a secretariat in Copenhagen to support its work.

The annual budget of the Nordic Council of Ministers is approximately EUR 140 million. The Nordic countries finance the budget as agreed based on their respective GDP. Finland’s share is approximately one sixth of the budget. 

Joint Nordic institutions

An essential part of Nordic cooperation are the approximately 20 joint Nordic institutions based in the Nordic countries.

The international financial institutions based in Finland are the Nordic Investment Bank, the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO) and the Nordic Development Fund (NDF). In addition, the Nordic Culture Point, the Nordic Occupational Health and Safety Education Institute (NIVA) and the branch office of the Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social Issues (NVC) are based in Helsinki.

The Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) was established by the Nordic Council of Ministers, and later the three Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — have also joined as members of NIB.

The Norden associations carry out Nordic civil society cooperation through their regional field-specific organisations and information points. Info Norden provides advice on cross-border barriers. The office of the North Calotte Cross-Border Advice Service in Tornio-Haparanda is also part of the information services network in the Nordic countries.