News

  • The Faroe Islands: A country without prisons

    If you are sentenced to more than 18 months in prison in the Faroe Islands, you will suffer the additional penalty of being sent to Denmark to serve your sentence. Because there are no prisons in the Faroe Islands.

    6 minutes
    The Faroe Islands: A country without prisons
  • Swedish LO: The ETUC no longer represents us

    The Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LO) has stopped paying its membership fee to the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and will no longer participate in the organisation’s meetings – all in protest against the ETUC’s handling of the directive on adequate minimum wages.

    2 minutes
    Swedish LO: The ETUC no longer represents us
  • Platform work challenges the Nordic model

    Should we be adding a third labour market category in addition to employer and employee? As the Nordic labour ministers met in Helsinki between 22 and 23 November, much of the discussion centred on platform work and the challenges this presents for the Nordic model.

    4 minutes
    Platform work challenges the Nordic model
  • Hybrid work: Nordic border commuters face income tax headache

    Hybrid work became a solution for many companies during the Corona pandemic. But people commuting across borders risked being taxed in a different country because they were working from home. The Nordic Border Barriers Council is on the case.

    5 minutes
    Hybrid work: Nordic border commuters face income tax headache
  • EEA/EFTA countries meet as Hungary blocks final declaration

    The 53rd EEA Council meeting on 24 November at the new EFTA House in Brussels ended without a final declaration. Hungary took the highly unusual step to veto it in a move seen as revenge against EEA grants to the country being stopped earlier.

    4 minutes
    EEA/EFTA countries meet as Hungary blocks final declaration
  • Cognitive health part of new Swedish work environment strategy

    Do you juggle all the balls at once rather than focus on what you should be doing? Or do you prioritise and concentrate on what is the most pressing task? Today’s labour market is really testing our cognitive capacity. More and more of us come down with cognitive ill health.

    4 minutes
  • New Icelandic employers’ organisation while trade union chair resigns

    It has been an eventful month for the Icelandic labour market. On the employer’s side, representatives of smaller companies formally founded a new association to further their interests, since they believe that they are not properly looked after elsewhere. At the same time, the chairman of one of the largest trade unions in the country…

    7 minutes
  • The Nordics come together to prepare for future crises

    When new crises shake the Nordic region, the countries will cooperate on crisis preparedness and keep a close dialogue before introducing closed borders and other restrictions which impact on Nordic neighbours. There is broad agreement for this between the Nordic governments and parliamentarians.

    8 minutes
    The Nordics come together to prepare for future crises
  • Nordics agree to protect culture as well as the climate

    Climate and sustainability get more from the 2022 Nordic cooperation budget, while culture and education avoid planned cuts.

    4 minutes
    Nordics agree to protect culture as well as the climate
  • Iceland received the most refugees per capita in 2020 among the Nordics

    Immigration to OECD countries fell by 30% in 2020 to 3.7 million people. That is the lowest level since 2003. Denmark, Finland and Norway received fewer asylum seekers per capita than the OECD average, while Iceland and Sweden took in considerably more.

    4 minutes
    Iceland received the most refugees per capita in 2020 among the Nordics