The session’s main theme was overall Nordic security. Finnish President Alexander Stubb delivered the opening speech.
Read this article in Swedish on Arbeidsliv i Norden
He was able to start with a topical issue, namely the telephone conversation he and Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre had had earlier that morning with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The conversation was professional and honest, with the aim of achieving lasting and fair peace in Ukraine, said Stubb.
“We didn’t speak for the whole of Europe, but as leaders of our countries and strong supporters of Ukraine,” the President pointed out.
After the conversation, Ukraine’s President and the most important allies were informed about the content. According to Denmark’s Radio, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticised the fact that the conversation had not been coordinated with other European countries.
She participated during the meeting of Nordic prime ministers in Helsinki, but not at the actual Nordic Council session.
Stubb justified the call with Putin by stressing the importance of neighbouring countries resolving their differences, particularly as the war has a direct impact on Nordic security and will not end without open and direct discussions.
Nordic Council, a meeting place for friends
The world around us, with its changed security situation, makes cooperation necessary.
President Stubb called the Nordic Council a forum which brings friends together. A place where we have always found common ground through dialogue, even when times have been tough.
But the President also called for more effective Nordic cooperation and concrete measures to reflect the strong public support.
Stubb called for a united front when rivalries between the major powers intensify, with economic dependencies being used as instruments of coercion.
The technological revolution, climate change and energy security require investment, skills and solutions which we best find together.
“As Nordic countries we cannot isolate ourselves from the rest of the world in our own little bubble,” said President Stubb.
He wanted to point out the critical dependencies. These could include individual suppliers’ reliance on raw materials, medicines, technology or communications services, or the disruption of a critical supply chain.
We need alternatives, sufficient stockpiles and coordinated approaches, the President said.
“Finland and Sweden have significant expertise in network technology. Denmark is a global leader in the maritime and pharmaceutical industries.
“Iceland’s strategic location makes it an indispensable partner for many. Norway has strengths in finance, energy and technology, among other sectors. Some of us produce critical deep tech, others, world-class applications.”
President Stubb called for a strengthening of the Nordic’s common strategic position and for combining research, investments and skills to make the region an even stronger player.
He mentioned network technologies, quantum computing, space technology and digital infrastructure, but also defence industries, energy and other strategically important sectors.
Ukraine brings war know-how and partnership
The Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrij Sybiha, was among the session’s international speakers. He called for full Nordic support and continued unity.
He thanked for the support his country has received so far, but also spoke about future benefits for the Nordic region. Being a nation at war, Ukraine can share unique know-how about modern warfare and technology, pointed out the foreign minister.
Looking ahead, there are also opportunities for economic partnerships involving Nordic companies, both in the growing defence industry and in the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Nato and EU unites, limitations removed
Much has changed now that Sweden and Finland have become members of the Nato defence alliance. One of the many speakers pointing this out was Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Espen Barth Eide.
“We in the Nordic region came together while we were divided on security policy, but closely connected socially, culturally and economically.
“Long before the EU was even conceived, we forged close ties to create a common labour market, shared social welfare arrangements and a common passport union,” the Norwegian foreign minister pointed out.
It was possible to create literature prizes and integration, but not to work with heavy security policy because the countries had taken different paths after WWII. But now, those limitations are gone, said Barth Eide.
“We are all gathered in Nato, everyone is an EU member nearly, via the EEA, which means shared security, economy and certain fundamental values.”
Higher profile for Greenland and the Faroe Islands
Similar sentiments were expressed by the other foreign ministers who addressed the session on Wednesday morning. Several speakers praised the agreement between Denmark, Greenland and the United States.
Many Council members wanted to debate the autonomous areas’ demands for full membership of the Nordic institutions.
A commission is examining the possibility of revising the Helsinki Treaty and has until the end of the year to complete its work. There is no consensus on whether the obstacles are political or legal.
When Denmark takes over the Presidency of the Nordic Council next year, Greenland and the Faroe Islands will at least have a higher profile than before as well as representation on the Presidium.
Arctic cooperation might include Canada
One of the international decisions made during the week centred on increased cooperation between the Nordic region and Canada.
This would involve regional cooperation on the Arctic, mainly linked to security, resilience, civil preparedness, hybrid threats, the effects of climate change and the inclusion of native populations.
The decision follows up on a meeting of Nordic prime ministers and Canada earlier this year.
The only concrete Arctic issue addressed during the session concerned the green transition in Arctic winter climates. The Nordic Council approved a proposal from its members covering both business and public transport.
The Nordic governments were encouraged to act in unison, also within the EU, to develop technology that also works in low temperatures.
Climate requirements might be difficult to meet, and regulations might be circumvented if emission-reduction systems fail in very cold temperatures, pointed out Liz Mattsson, a Nordic Council member from Åland.
Reintroduced border controls
Border barriers remain a thorny issue for Nordic cooperation and is an issue that is seemingly never completely solved.
“We must remain vigilant about any new regulations that could restrict one of the best things about the Nordic region – our freedom to travel across borders.”
Jonas Gahr Støre pointed to a paradox: that we have now more or less reintroduced border controls between our Nordic countries. The first great success in the 1950s, the fact that we could travel without passports within the Nordic region before anyone else in Europe.
In the northernmost parts of the Nordics, the borders closed during the pandemic, causing considerable difficulties for the many cross-border commuters.
In the Øresund region, cross-border commuting has been disrupted by the reintroduction of border controls in response to crime and concerns about immigration.
Prime Minister Støre’s proposed solution was closer cooperation on combatting crime, but also more police both in the field and behind computer screens.
Too much gender equality?
The last day of the session was more down to earth and concrete. It started off with a debate on gender equality.
“We have been cooperating on gender equality for 50 years and we’ve achieved a lot. But we are reminded daily that we live in a time of increasing pressure on gender equality and the rights of LGBTQI people.
“That’s why we have strengthened our joint efforts,” said Margit Stórá, the Faroese government minister responsible for gender equality.
Eva Biaudet’s last session: Is security replacing gender equality?
Eva Biaudet has served several terms in the Finnish Parliament and as a member of the Nordic Council’s Centre Group. Now, attending her final Nordic Council session, she was able to look back on progress.
“I have seen the strength of our cooperation and how we create change when we stand up for our shared Nordic values.
When we travel abroad, we see a lot of interest in Nordic solutions, not least when it comes to gender equality. Many want to meet us,” explains Eva Biaudet.
But now, she also sees the risk of a backlash against gender equality, mostly globally but also in the Nordic region.
“There is growing polarisation, fuelled by social media and AI, which in some ways operates much like deliberate hybrid influence campaigns, with extreme rhetoric aimed at dividing people and creating contempt.”
Eva Biaudet says there are now far-right parties within the Nordic Council that want to roll back progress on gender equality. She points out that the Finnish Security Intelligence Service is warning of growing Nazism and far-right extremism among young men.
Nevertheless, she remains optimistic about further progress on gender equality in the Nordic region and close cooperation between governments and parliamentarians.
Thanks to deliberate policy decisions, gender equality has long been integrated into all sectors of society. The same approach is now being pursued in emergency preparedness.
But while gender equality needs to be recognised and given its rightful place, there is now a risk that security policy will take over and dominate every sector, Eva Biaudet points out.
It is important to be able to juggle several priorities at once, but now it sometimes seems as though every sector has to find a security policy angle to attract funding and attention.
“Gender equality has long been integrated into all areas of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ work. But progress on gender equality does not happen by itself,” Margit Stórá pointed out.
Juho Eerola from the Nordic Freedom group took issue with what he called inequality in the work for gender equality.
“We remember the women and sexual minorities but forget boys and men who die at an earlier age, work longer hours and often suffer from alcohol problems while facing more violence than women,” said Eerola.
Men are indeed often paid more, but they are also more likely to experience marginalisation.
Juho Eerola said it would be more important for social cohesion to ensure that boys and men also feel included in society.
Hege Bae Nyholt from the Nordic Green Left group, referred to the debate in Norway over whether “gender equality has gone too far”.
“It has not. It is still a fact that one in five women in my home country are raped – one in five, which means 20 per cent of all women.
“If our society had had a 20 per cent unemployment rate, we would have reacted immediately, money would have been found, and measures would be put in place straight away.
“But when it is about violence in near relations and rape, cases take far too long to investigate and are not given sufficient priority, either in Norway or across the Nordic region.”
Are profits a problem in healthcare?
The session’s debate on welfare policy focused on working conditions and staffing in healthcare.
Høgni Hoydal from the Nordic Green Left group spoke about a Nordic welfare model under pressure. He pointed to several examples of privatisation of welfare and healthcare services leading to efforts to increase profits. He would like to map this.
Mirell Høyer-Berntsen from Norway agreed.
“Privatisation, tax cuts and welfare crime weaken the Nordic welfare model.
“Privatisation per se is not bad, it is important that citizens have access to different types of welfare services,” said Monika Rubin, a Danish minister from the Conservative Moderates party. What is needed, she argued, was to prevent cheating.
She saw no problem with people making money doing what they are good at. But she dislikes people who abuse the system and try to milk the state coffers.
Eva Lindh, a Swedish Social Democrat, regarded welfare as one of the most important pillars of Nordic society.
The fundamental principle is that people should be able to rely on society to support them when they need it, regardless of where they live, their age or how much money they have.
These challenges should also be priorities when it comes to border barriers, for instance those affecting patient transport and electronic prescriptions across national borders.
Annette Holmberg Jansson from Åland and the Conservative group, highlighted staffing as a challenge for the health and social care sector. More staff and specialist expertise are needed in health and social care.
“Staffing is another shared challenge. We need to make the most of the expertise we already have and give staff opportunities to develop professionally.
“We also need to learn from each other about how work can be organised so that staff have time to see and listen to the person in front of them.”
Used appropriately, welfare technology can also help older people feel safe and secure in their own homes, added Annette Holmberg-Jansson. This is particularly valuable in smaller communities and sparsely populated areas.
Economic inequality and power
One issue that sparked a heated debate during the session was the Left group’s proposal on economic inequality and the distribution of economic power.
The group warned that growing economic inequality in the Nordic region was leading to increasing concentration of ownership, unequal influence and disparities in life chances.
In the end, it was decided to commission a study into economic inequality, wealth distribution and the concentration of economic power in the Nordic region, along with a review of the measures the Nordic countries have put in place to reduce these inequalities.
Not everyone agreed with the premise that the unequal distribution of wealth and power was a problem that needed investigating. Both the Nordic Freedom and Blue Nordic groups voted against the committee’s compromise proposal.
