When language and regulations create obstacles in the Nordics

Swedish Sofia Krogh grew up “a stone’s throw” from the border between Norway and Sweden.

“We had Norway all around us. We never saw the border as an obstacle, not physically nor mentally,” says Krogh.

Things changed when she grew up.

Krogh lives in Sweden and works in Norway. She is happy in her job as a nurse in Indre Østfold municipality, where the pay and pension are considerably better than in her native country.

But as a cross-border commuter, Krogh has to relate to a lot of rules and papers that must be filled in. 

The nurse believes red tape stops more people from traveling across the border to work. 

“I know Swedes who fancy working in Norway but who don’t dare because of the language and because of the many rules you have to adhere to,” says Krogh. 

We also write about languages in this edition. The Nordic cooperation wants to strengthen the languages in the region through a new declaration on Nordic language politics.

“As a Nordic community, we wish to protect, use and develop all of our languages – after all, having a language is a question of freedom, democracy and egality," said the Swedish Minister for Culture Parisa Liljestrand at the signing of the declaration nearly one year ago. 

Not least because if you want to work in a different Nordic country, it helps to understand the language. If you are Norwegian and want to work in tourism in Denmark, it is nice to know what the Norwegian word frokost means to the Danes.

The work to remove border obstacles in the Nordic region was intensified in 2024. A new six-year program for freedom of movement was adopted, among other things.

The new programme for the period 2025 - 2030 aims to raise the issue higher on the political agenda and to give the cooperation ministers a clearer role. A new secretariat for the programme has been set up, led by Sandra Forsén.

“It is crucial for progress that the cooperation ministers are given a clearer role,” says Sandra Forsén.

The Nordic information services play an important role in the new programme for freedom of movement. Employees at Grensetjänsten Norge – Sverige in Morokulien have helped citizens and businesses in the border areas for nearly 30 years. 

They see that legislation is not always the problem, but rather how this is being interpreted and put into practice. Their motto is simple: “It should be easy to get it right”. 

And speaking of laws and regulations: In Sweden, questions are now being raised about whether trade unions are allowed to use industrial action to demand occupational pensions for foreign workers – a case reminiscent of the infamous Laval ruling.

Denmark is improving the fight against social dumping after revelations about working environments where immigrant workers in the construction industry risk their lives and are being exploited. 

From 1 July, the Danish Working Environment Authority will be able to impose higher fines and halt all work in cases of repeated violations at workplaces. 

In Iceland, Inga Sæland has been given the responsibility for the labour market as the country’s new Minister for Social Affairs and Housing. Sæland is a politician out of the ordinary. 

She has spent much of her life on benefits and established the political party Flokkur fólksins (the People’s Party) in 2016 at her own kitchen table. Her political aim is to eradicate poverty in Iceland.

Finally, we return to the main theme this month – border obstacles. We travel to the Øresund region, the largest labour market in the Nordics, with more than 21,000 cross-border commuters – and ambitions to create many more.

This year, the Øresund Bridge turns 25, with royal visits and a people’s party. Hans Wallmark is the Swedish ambassador to Denmark and a Bridge and Nordic region enthusiast. 

“We have no better friends than this extended family that the Nordic countries represent. It’s proven that when times get tough, we draw our strength from those who are closest to us,” says Wallmark. 

Happy reading!