The

“The political co-operation is built on common values and a willingness to achieve results that contribute to a dynamic development” The Nordic cooperation

 Nordic Council, formed in 1952. The official interparliamentary body.

 Nordic Council of Ministers, formed in 1971. The intergovernmental co-operation.

 Five countries: , , Iceland, , .

 Three autonomous territories: Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland.

 25 million people Why the Nordic Council?

 The Nordic Council was established in 1952, in the aftermath of World War II.

 The politicians at the time strived for stronger international co-operation generally, the UN, the Council of Europe were established.

 The Treaty, on which the official Nordic co-operation is based, mentions a number of political fields in which the Nordic states shall co- operate.

 The Nordic Council gives impulses, visions, directions, where we see that the can tackle issues more successfully together. Some important results

 Nordic Convention on Social Security

 Passport Union

 The Helsinki Treaty, ”the Nordic constitution” that regulates official cooperation between the countries.

 Joint Nordic labour market

 Agreement on access to higher education Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC)

 11 national parliaments (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden)

 11 regional parliaments (Faeroe Islands, Bremen, Hamburg, Greenland, Kaliningrad, Karelia, Leningrad, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, St. Petersburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Åland)

 5 parliamentary organisations (Baltic Assembly, European Parliament, Nordic Council, Council of Europe, OSCE) Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Regin (CPAR)

 8 Arctic states (Canada, Denmark/Greenland, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, USA)

 European Parliament

 Permanent Participants (indigenous peples of the Arctic region) Barents Parliamentary Conference

 Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden

 European Parliament, Nordic Council