Nordic flags outside the Storting. Photo: Storting.
Celebrating the Nordic Council’s 70th anniversary
This year marks 70 years since Nordic parliamentary cooperation’s strongest trademark, the Nordic Council, was set up. The Storting will be celebrating this anniversary by raising all the Nordic flags at Løvebakken on Nordic Day, Wednesday 23rd March.
The Nordic passport union, the common labour market, the Global Seed Vault on Svalbard, and the Nordic Swan ecolabel are just some of the many tangible results of Nordic cooperation.
Strong public support
“There is strong public support for Nordic cooperation. In these uncertain times, with war in Europe, the need for firm and close collaboration and solidarity with our neighbours is more important than ever,” said Jorodd Asphjell (Labour Party), head of the Storting’s delegation to the Nordic Council.
Jorodd Asphjell (Labour Party) is head of the Storting’s delegation to the Nordic Council. Photo: Storting.
The Storting’s delegation comprises 20 MPs. These MPs are divided among four committees and the Presidium, which is responsible for planning, running and coordinating the Council’s work. In total, the Nordic Council consists of 87 members, who work actively to ensure that people can study, work and move freely within the Nordic area.
“The Nordic Council has striven to find common Nordic solutions for its people for 70 years. This work continues. Our aim is that the Nordic region will be the most integrated and sustainable region in the world,” continued Mr Asphjell.
Einar Gerhardsen, head of delegation
It was at a meeting of 15th and 16th March 1952 that the Nordic foreign affairs ministers resolved to establish an official Nordic forum for parliamentary cooperation. At the Nordic Council’s first official meeting on 15th February 1953, Einar Gerhardsen, head of the Norwegian delegation and one of 20th Century Norway’s most prominent politicians, said the following:
“There was a dispute about the Nordic Council in the Norwegian Storting. Many were against it, but a sizeable majority voted in favour of Norwegian membership. Those who were against the Council are also represented in the Norwegian delegation. This is something which I think pleases us all. I’m also happy to be able to say that both the Storting and the Norwegian population were unanimous in their wish for the best possible collaboration between the Nordic states. What form this collaboration should take is where opinions divide.”
Meeting of the presidents of parliament
There will also be a digital meeting between the Nordic presidents of parliament on Nordic Day.
“Nordic cooperation is of great importance because our nations face so many of the same challenges. We are stronger together, we have greater influence and are more effective as a unit than as individual nations,” says President of the Storting Masud Gharahkhani.
About the Nordic Council
The Nordic Council is a comprehensive collaboration between the parliaments of the Nordic region. Its 87 members come from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and the autonomous regions of the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland.
The cooperation covers an extensive and diverse range of fields, including the environment, climate, energy, education, innovation and culture. The Nordic Council awards five annual prizes: a literature prize, a music prize, a film prize, a children’s and young people’s literature prize, and an environment prize.
Read more about Nordic cooperation (norden.org/en).