November, 2009
An international newsletter from the Nordic Council and The Nordic Council of Ministers
Welcome to the monthly newsletter now published in a new form as a net version only. The purpose is to inform about issues on the Nordic agenda and focus on some of the events and results of the official Nordic cooperation.
Helgi Hjörvar MP (Iceland) was elected President of the Nordic Council at the annual Session in Stockholm in October. Hjörvar, born 1967, was elected to the Icelandic parliament (the Althing) in 2003. He represents the Social Democrats, and became a member of the Nordic Council in 2007. Hjörvar has also been the chair of the Icelandic delegation to the Nordic Council this year.
Both the equality ministers and the members of the Nordic Council have placed trafficking high on their agendas. The parliamentarians are concerned about the apparently low number of convictions.
The Nordic foreign ministers will start the process of co-operation between the Nordic embassies around the world soon.
With only 39 days left until the UN Climate Summit (COP15) in Copenhagen, the Nordic environment ministers met during the Nordic Council of Ministers in Stockholm.
The Danish Prime Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, told the Nordic summit of MPs and prime ministers held in conjunction with the annual Session of the Nordic Council in Stockholm that the Nordic countries have helped set the European agenda, especially on climate change.
There is no alternative to an agreement at the climate summit in Copenhagen if we are to meet the goal of a temperature rise of no more than two degrees, stressed Sweden's minister for the environment, Andreas Carlgren, at the climate conference in Kulturhuset in Stockholm.
The ministers call for the Nordic countries to act as pioneers for sustainable business and energy policies. The Nordic countries should be the forerunner in Europe in the transition to an eco-efficient economy, which will mean growth by reducing the burden on the environment. Sustainable consumption and production, environmental technologies, energy efficiency and renewable energy will improve the prospects for more jobs in more growing businesses, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The trend towards a borderless electricity market continues.
Globalisation initiatives remain high on the prime ministers' agenda, it emerged during a news conference held by the heads of government at the annual Session of the Nordic Council in Stockholm.
Ambitious strategy for the Nordic cultural co-operation steps up Nordic global cultural drive.
The Nordic Council proposal for setting up a Nordic Information Office in Minsk, Belarus, was pushed through the Session after a vote. The motion for the establishment of the office in Minsk was passed by 48 members for and 13 against.
The Stoltenberg report dominated the Nordic Council debate about closer co-operation on foreign and defence policy. There is a broad willingness to gather existing Nordic foreign and defence policy co-operation under a single umbrella, and to work more closely together at an informal level," said Össur Skarphéðinsson, the Icelandic foreign minister.
Financing climate improving measures in the developing countries is one of the major issues of dispute in the current climate negotiations. Therefore, the rich countries must be clear about how the financing will be solved.
The Nordic Region is set to invest in new initiatives in culture and creativity, health and welfare, energy and transport, building and construction, finance and e-science as part of the governments' joint plans to face the challenges posed by globalisation.
