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The Nordic model in a new era

Summary of the Swedish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers 2013

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The Nordic model in a new era Summary of the Swedish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers 2013

Photos: Cover: Henrik Trygg/imagebank.sweden.se

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Nordic co-operation Nordic co-operation is one of the world’s most extensive forms of regional collaboration, involving Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland. Nordic co-operation has firm traditions in politics, the economy and culture. It plays an important role in European and international collaboration, and aims at creating a strong Nordic community in a strong Europe. Nordic co-operation seeks to safeguard Nordic and regional interests and principles in the global community. Common Nordic values help the region solidify its position as one of the world’s most innovative and competitive.

The Nordic model in a new era

Summary of the Swedish Presidency of

the Nordic Council of Ministers 2013

Contents

5 Preface

6 The Nordic model in a new era

7 Five themes

7 Combating exclusion

11 Strong competitiveness

13 A sustainable society

16 Demographic challenges

18 The Nordic Region in the world

20 Reform of the Nordic Council of Ministers

22 Action taken

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Preface

Today, the Nordic countries and Nordic co-operation are increasingly dependent on the surrounding world and the rapid changes taking place in it. More than ever, therefore, we need to come up with answers to key questions for the future. The Swedish Presidency programme was developed with this in mind. It focuses on five specific areas: exclusion, competitiveness, sustainability, demography and the Nordic Region in the world. Proceeding from these themes, we have toured the Nordic house in area after area to deepen our knowledge, compare experiences, test innovative solutions and determine plans and programmes. We have sought to bring Nordic co-operation closer to the citizens, to pull down the remaining barriers to mobility and to prevent new ones from developing. We have also formulated visions for Nordic co-operation in the future. We have applied the Nordic Council of Ministers’ budget in a more innovative way. Four of the projects currently in progress have been financed via the new priority budget.

This report seeks to describe the outcome of the Swedish Presidency. We are happy to say that virtually everything we planned in the way of initiatives, projects, programmes and conferences actually came to fruition. Almost 20 ministerial meetings and some 100 other meetings and seminars took place. We hope this will give a number of important future issues a clearer place in Nordic co-operation in the years ahead.

We also hope that, as before, it will be possible to adapt our forms of co-operation to new realities. During the Presidency period, a number of initiatives have been taken to this end.

Iceland will be assuming the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers after Sweden. I would like to wish Iceland every success in this important task.

Ewa Björling Minister for Nordic Co-operation

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The Nordic model in a new era

‘The Nordic model in a new era’ was the title chosen by the Swedish Government for its presidency programme. This title reflects a conviction that there is a specific Nordic approach which can also be applied in a new era replete with new challenges. Our conviction in this respect is supported by a number of international assessments of the Nordic model.

The Swedish Presidency has been keen to ensure that Nordic co-operation is even better equipped to deal with the changes now facing the Nordic countries and the rest of the world. Consequently, we have sought to incorporate the kinds of issues into our collaboration that we believe will be crucial to the various countries’ ability to preserve their relative prosperity in the foreseeable future. They include long-term issues of paramount importance such as the climate threat, tougher international competition, ageing populations and social tensions. These particular problems will still be present when the acute financial crisis still evident in Europe has receded. If Nordic co-operation is to address such key issues, it must be open to new visions and new working procedures.

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Five themes

The Swedish Government’s presidency programme has had five themes: combating exclusion, strong competitiveness, a sustainable society, demographic challenges and the Nordic Region in the world. These themes include a number of the issues facing the Nordic welfare model and Nordic co-operation. They are neither new nor unfamiliar. Nor are they by any means unique to the Nordic countries. But they place fresh demands on Nordic co-operation.

Now that the Swedish Presidency is nearing its conclusion, we are delighted to see that virtually all the ideas and initiatives outlined in the programme for 2013 have been consummated and we hope this means they will find a place in our Nordic collaboration in the years ahead. Our intention with this programme was to help develop a common Nordic home for all who live in our countries, with no border barriers and no social barriers. We want to preserve our international competitiveness, which is essential to our continuing welfare and prosperity. We want our elderly to feel secure and our younger citizens to have faith in the future.

Combating exclusion

Many of the programmes and measures that the Nordic Council of Ministers has concerned itself with over the past year have focused on combating exclusion in one way or another. Distinguishing features of exclusion include chronic unemployment, dependency on social safety nets of various kinds, and an increased risk of physical and mental ill-health. For many, it is employment that offers the best chance of escape. Measures for reducing unemployment – and particularly destructive long-term unemployment – are of crucial importance in the fight against exclusion. The Presidency’s main theme in this area, ‘More young people in work in the Nordic Region’, has deliberately spotlighted younger citizens since the unemployment level and thus the risk of exclusion is comparatively high in this group, particularly among those born abroad. If young people are helped to find work, a harmful drift towards social exclusion can be halted early in life.

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In May 2013, the Swedish Presidency organised a job summit at Fryshuset in Stockholm targeting young people. It was attended by 650 participants from all over the Nordic area, representing government agencies, employers and trade unions, private enterprise, youth organisations, parliamentarians and educational institutions. The idea was to illuminate and discuss various aspects of youth employment and unemployment in the Nordic Region. The Nordic prime ministers took part in a panel discussion and exchanged thoughts and experiences on the subject. In a separate panel discussion, Nordic ministers, including those from Åland, the Faeroe Islands and Greenland, focused on exclusion among young people. In connection with the summit, a large number of Nordic studies were presented on youth unemployment and its causes. All stressed the importance of education for labour market entry. In parallel with the summit, a job forum was organised at which best practices from all Nordic countries were presented. At the end of November, the National Board for Youth Affairs in Sweden organised a conference to follow up the Nordic prime ministers’ May summit, and to build on the ‘More young people in work in the Nordic Region’ project.

If jobs are to be created for the young and if exclusion is to end, new methods must be tested. As a follow-up to the panel discussions at the job summit, a study of Nordic vocational and apprenticeship training is to be undertaken, with special emphasis on working life. This project is to be financed via the priority budget.

The situation in the Nordic labour market for people with foreign backgrounds was discussed at a conference on the theme of an inclusive working life, focusing on people in this group in Stockholm. The discussion centred on similarities, dissimilarities and examples of successful integration. In preparation for the conference, Statistics Sweden had produced a Nordic report containing facts and analyses concerning the labour market integration of people with foreign backgrounds. The Nordic ministers responsible for integration matters attended a part of the conference, including a panel discussion, and then held a separate informal ministerial meeting.

Sweden has years of positive experience of working with young entrepreneurs with foreign backgrounds. The lessons learned from the Swedish ‘cosmopolitans’ project were reported back during the year.

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Education is a prerequisite for entry into working life. Several conferences have had education as their main theme, including one that discussed how academics trained abroad can be helped to establish themselves here. Immigrant academics represent a major labour resource for our country and they must be able to put their training to use in the Nordic labour market as soon as possible. Another conference was devoted to the importance of language skills development from an integration viewpoint.

Exclusion also affects the position, rights and participation of children and

young people in Nordic society. At a time of increased migratory flows between countries, the rights of the child need to be addressed to a greater extent. The Nordic governments’ experts on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child took part in a seminar in Stockholm and exchanged experiences about how their respective governments were tackling issues in this area. They also discussed with representatives of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child how the dialogue between the convention states and the committee might be improved. Sweden proposed the establishment of a Nordic partnership dealing with children’s rights.

Gender equality is a key issue in the Nordic welfare states. During the

Swedish Presidency, equality work in education has been given special attention. It is during the school years that gender gaps begin to be established and it is in the schools that they can be combated. Gender equality activities in preschools and schools were the subject both of a conference in Stockholm and of a special study. A further conference examined the economic consequences of gender inequality in the labour market, particularly in relation to part-time work.

Culture and the activities that come under cultural policy are at the very core

of our identity. They lend shape to the reality we live in, for instance, and create space for an open and inclusive society. By striving for a wide range of cultural expressions, culture helps to reduce exclusion. A number of activities took place during the year under the auspices of the Council of Ministers for Culture. They included an expert meeting on media literacy as a key to freedom of expression and democracy, and two conferences: ‘Young readers in the Nordic Region' and ‘Open heritage data in the Nordic Region'. In addition, a number of other meetings were convened on such themes as conditions for artists in the region, free zones for artistic freedom of expression, and sustainable architecture and design. Some of these meetings focused specifically on fostering the development of Nordic networks bringing together national authorities and cultural actors.

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During the Swedish Presidency, a new strategy for Nordic cultural co-operation 2013–2020 was launched. The strategy, which aims to endow co-operation with greater focus and continuity, has five themes: the sustainable Nordic Region, the creative Nordic Region, the inter-cultural Nordic Region, the young Nordic Region, and the digital Nordic Region. The Nordic Council of Ministers’ institutions in the cultural sphere are now basing their activities on this strategy.

Also during the Swedish Presidency, the Nordic Council’s new prize for

children’s and young people’s literature was awarded for the first time.

The continued elimination of barriers to cross-border mobility was a

major theme of the Swedish Presidency, and the Nordic ministers adopted a three-year action plan for this area, starting in 2014. The Nordic Border Barrier Forum’s mandate expires in December 2013 and its work will now be taken over by the Nordic Border Barrier Council. The new body will be headed by the country holding the presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers at the time, which will make it easier for that country to push through its political priorities regarding cross-border mobility. The various countries’ representatives in the Border Barrier Council will be responsible for establishing support for this work at national level through close co-operation with line ministries and agencies. The Secretary-General of the Nordic Council of Ministers has been appointed to the Border Barrier Council in order to facilitate liaison between it and the various ministerial councils and committees of senior officials. A representative of the Nordic Council will also be offered a seat on the Border Barrier Council.

During the year, the Nordic governments and agencies have sought to

remove border barriers by means of regulatory changes. Examples include negotiations between Sweden and other Nordic countries aimed at making it easier for commuters to obtain rehabilitation in their country of residence, and a government mandate under which the Swedish Tax Agency will examine the possibility of providing foreign owners of holiday homes with co-ordination numbers.

At the Nordic Session in Oslo, the Nordic prime ministers and

representatives of the autonomous areas adopted a declaration emphasising the importance of combating border barriers as a means of creating jobs and economic growth in the Region.

At times of economic turbulence and rapid market fluctuation, people

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can land in the kind of debt that is difficult to manage. This can become part of the vicious circle of exclusion. A conference entitled ‘Over-indebtedness – a common Nordic challenge’, which took place in Stockholm in November and attracted participants from all over the Region, examined ways of escaping such problems. Discussion centred on regulations and current initiatives in the Nordic countries aimed at preventing and clearing debts. Concrete examples were presented of methods both for reducing the number of debtors and for easing the problems of those with large debts. The purpose was to create a forum for exchanges of experience in this area.

Strong competitiveness

The Nordic countries hold a strong position in the world economy. We want to maintain this position in a global economy that has been radically transformed in the space of little more than a decade. This transformation – commonly referred to as globalisation – has impacted strongly on the Nordic countries and altered our competitive situation in the international arena. Today, the production of goods and services is more closely linked into global value chains, and the competition for markets has become tougher. Knowledge-based capital has become increasingly important in pursuit of development and growth. If we are to maintain the high levels of employment that distinguish our countries, it is vital that we remain competitive. This will necessitate constant renewal – which is by no means an alien concept in our region. Our openness to change is one of the reasons why we continue to hold such a strong position in the world.

During the year, a new Nordic co-operation programme on innovation and

business policy was formulated and adopted, covering the period 2014–2017. This policy programme aims both to make it attractive to live, work and operate a business in the Nordic Region and to strengthen the Nordic countries’ international competitiveness. It lists four priority areas: entrepreneurship and financing, green growth, new welfare solutions, and culture and creativity for growth.

The Nordregio Forum is a new annual meeting point for exchanges of

knowledge and experience among officials, political representatives and researchers in the Nordic countries on issues relating to sustainable regional growth and development. The theme of this year’s forum, held outside Stockholm, was ‘Nordic Attraction’. Participants came from all over the Region for two intensive days of seminars and discussions.

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The promotion of Nordic mining is a business policy issue that has been highlighted during the Swedish Presidency. There is considerable demand for metals and minerals, and growth of the mining and minerals industry creates jobs. To a great extent, the Nordic countries share the same geological potential, and the chances of finding workable mineral deposits in the Nordic Region are good. A joint effort to strengthen the Nordic mining industry would be of considerable benefit to the Region. There are however a number of major environmental challenges associated with mining. The aim now is to bolster Nordic competitiveness and intensify environmental work in this time-honoured industry, which many observers believe is heading for a promising new future.

The Nordic ministers for industry consequently decided to launch the

NordMin project. This project is to receive a funding allocation of DKK 30 million for the first three years, but the idea is that it will then be self-financing. One of the prime aims of NordMin is to exploit the Nordic mining industry’s potential in a sustainable way and thereby promote competitiveness and growth. NordMin comprises a network of experts based at Luleå University of Technology. It brings together universities, research institutes, businesses and other actors contributing to or affected by Nordic mining operations.

One example of innovative thinking was a conference in Växjö focusing on

modern industrial wood construction. The conference was convened to emphasise the role that forests can play in a modern bio-based economy, to pass on knowledge and to inspire entrepreneurs for whom wood is an important building material both regionally in the Nordic countries and locally. In the Swedish Government’s ‘Wealth of the Woods’ project, wood construction is a priority area, and together with other Nordic countries we can collaborate, present good practices and build networks. The conference showed that there is considerable potential for developing the industrial contribution of woodland, forestry and the forest environment in pursuit of a sustainable, diversified Nordic business sector. The Nordic EcoLabel, the Swan, is focusing growing attention on the construction industry, among other sectors.

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The Swedish Presidency has drawn attention to today’s rural areas and their relevance in a business policy context. There is considerable potential here for green growth, better public health and the kind of quality of life that is not only one of our Nordic societies’ distinguishing features but also a competitive advantage. One particular issue is how best to ensure rural entrepreneurs of an adequate supply of capital. A ‘modern countryside’ requires new, locally based but globally adapted solutions enabling entrepreneurs to find new ways of developing their own businesses and thus the local economy. To enhance their competitiveness, businesses need access to capital. The financial sector’s difficulty in making enough funds available for small and medium-sized businesses in rural areas is already evident in Sweden. New financial instruments that facilitate interaction between depositors and entrepreneurs and thereby boost the flow of capital to rural areas are sought-after commodities both nationally and internationally. A conference was held during the year that featured exchanges of experience and views on prospects for business financing at the local, private level via new approaches such as crowd funding.

In early 2011, the Nordic Council of Ministers decided to launch a Nordic

Public-Private Partnership (PPP) on plant breeding. An evaluation of the PPP was undertaken in 2013. It deemed the project important and proposed extending it in order to meet the challenges facing agriculture in the Nordic countries in terms of climate change, competitiveness, the bio-based economy and the environment etc. The Nordic ministers responsible for agriculture decided to establish a guiding framework for the development of PPP financing from 2015, and expressed a desire to see the allocation of additional funds in the course of time.

A sustainable society

The Nordic welfare model must be economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. The Nordic countries are working together to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, to protect our seas, to strengthen our ecosystem services, to create a non-toxic everyday environment and to focus on a green economy combining stringent environmental requirements and economic growth.

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The climate has been a focal point of the Swedish Presidency. In connection with the IPCC’s presentation of its first interim report in Stockholm, a dialogue was held between the Nordic environment ministers, proactive Nordic companies and leading climate researchers. The ministers discussed with the UN climate panel how its findings might best reach a broad audience, and this led to a decision to embark on a joint Nordic communication project. The Nordic Council of Ministers organised a meeting at which Nordic ministers, experts and researchers met their Baltic colleagues to discuss national and international measures, including roadmaps targeting very low greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. A three-year presidency project on short-lived climate agents such as soot particles and methane was launched during the year. Financed out of the priority budget, it will provide all the Nordic countries with a significantly improved knowledge base.

At the beginning of the year, the environment ministers invited their Nordic

and Arctic colleagues to a meeting in Jukkasjärvi. All present were agreed that due to climate change a special effort is needed in the Arctic, and the meeting decided to initiate measures in the Arctic Council to reduce emissions of short-lived climate agents. The environment ministers pledged to continue efforts to preserve and improve the fragile Arctic environment. Alongside this meeting, a special meeting of the Nordic environment ministers was held in Jukkasjärvi at which a project on ‘planetary boundaries’ was launched, ahead of the UN discussion on global sustainability goals.

The Nordic countries have worked together in the Arctic Council to seek a

better understanding of marine acidification and biological diversity in the Arctic. During the year, a working group for sustainable regional development in the Arctic went into action. Under the Helsinki Convention, the Nordic countries have collaborated on efforts to limit discharges into the Baltic Sea.

The environment ministers decided at their meeting in Oslo to launch a new

project spotlighting Nordic textiles and fashion and aimed at reducing substances that are harmful to health and the environment while at the same time contributing to sustainable production and consumption. Additional conferences on this and other matters associated with a non-toxic everyday environment have also been organised during the Swedish Presidency.

During the year, the Nordic statistical agencies and the environment and finance sectors joined in seeking to develop welfare criteria that can supplement GDP so as to widen the basis for decision-making.

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The Nordic EcoLabel, the Swan, has been more specifically concerned with climate issues during the year and is studying the service sector more closely. In addition, work has begun on ecolabelling equity funds as part of the Swan project.

During the year, the Nordic Project Fund (Nopef) and the Nordic

Environmental Financing Company (Nefco) have co-ordinated their activities.

The fifth Nordic conference on sustainable development took place in Umeå

in September, jointly organised by the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions and the Municipality of Umeå, with representatives from all areas of society. The meeting focused on ways of creating growth that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. Participants were also presented with the revised Nordic sustainability strategy, ‘A good life in a sustainable Nordic Region’, which is the fourth strategy of its kind.

Sustainable development and Nordic welfare policy go hand in hand. The

programme ‘Sustainable Nordic Welfare’ has been jointly adopted by the Nordic Council of Ministers for Health and Social Affairs and the Nordic Council of Ministers for Education and Research. It represents a major investment and will run for three years. The programme is designed to augment the Nordic countries’ national efforts to revitalise their welfare models, and seeks both to raise standards and enhance gender equality in education, working life and health. One of the joint projects launched so far concerns highly specialised forms of care and treatment. These are so unusual, complex and expensive that it is difficult for individual Nordic countries to maintain a sufficiently high standard in terms of expertise, procedures and resources.

A new action programme for the energy sector has been developed for the period 2014–2017. It covers a range of issues of crucial importance to growth and competitiveness in the Nordic Region, including the Nordic electricity market, energy efficiency, renewable energy and energy research. Two conferences on the Nordic electricity market were convened during the year. A third, dealing with Nordic energy research, is planned for early 2014.

Joint research efforts of relevance to sustainable development create

added value for the Nordic Region. A conference on research infrastructure attracted researchers from the entire Nordic Region.

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If the Nordic fishing industry is to thrive in the future, fish stocks will need to be conserved in the long term and the impact of fishing on ecosystems will need to be reduced. During the Swedish Presidency, particular attention was focused on two issues of crucial importance to Nordic fishing: multispecies management and fuel subsidies for fishing vessels. A seminar on multispecies management was organised in co-operation with the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), at which practical guidelines for this form of management were developed for the first time. The multispecies approach takes all parts of the marine ecosystem into consideration and makes for greater managerial efficiency than if each fish species were to be treated individually. A seminar on fuel subsidies was also held, the aim being to learn how their withdrawal might impact on the Nordic fishing industry. This project is led by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

Another sustainability theme concerns our eating habits. At a conference

on the subject held in Stockholm in April, the modern meal was discussed in a broad perspective emphasising public health, environmental impact and ethics. The meeting focused on how our need of good food, good eating habits and culinary pleasure can be met in the future.

Today, levels of food wastage are growing and are largely a result of fully

edible food being thrown away both by consumers and by the retail trade. During the year, work began on developing uniform definitions for this area, which will make it easier to draw comparisons within the EU of food wastage and waste management.

Important aspects of sustainability and research were discussed at a

conference on drinking water. The relationship between animal and human health and resistance to antibiotics due to their use in animal husbandry also came under discussion during the Swedish Presidency.

Demographic challenges

Many parts of the Nordic Region are facing severe challenges in terms of welfare service provision, but also in terms of skills and labour supply. This is due to a great extent to the demographic trend, characteristics of which include continued strong urbanisation and a decline in the number of people of working age. Fewer gainfully employed people will be available in the future to support growing numbers of elderly.

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As part of the new regional policy co-operation programme for 2013-2016, the Nordic Council of Ministers’ working group on demography and welfare has been tasked with drawing up a joint Nordic platform for further knowledge building and exchanges of experience concerning the challenges and opportunities arising from demographic change. A Nordic handbook has already been produced describing the demographic situation in the Nordic regions and municipalities and offering examples of strategies and measures that can profitably be applied to meet the challenges. This material has been disseminated and discussed at a number of regional seminars. The plan is now to expand the handbook by including examples of innovative solutions for dealing with the demographic situation and also by presenting both concrete policy recommendations and interactive web maps showing where citizens can find services regardless of national borders. Nordic local and regional authorities can apply for funding from the Nordic demography programme, particularly for projects involving several Nordic countries.

The demographic trend towards a larger proportion of elderly in the

population represents a challenge for elderly care services, not least in terms of quality, freedom of choice and user influence. This was discussed at a conference in Stockholm attended by experts from the Nordic countries and the autonomous areas. It yielded much-appreciated exchanges of experience on the challenges that all the countries are currently grappling with. The Nordic Welfare Centre (NVC) will be following up the conference both with a survey and a comparison of standards in elderly service provision between the Nordic countries and with a second conference.

Another conference focused on the Nordic welfare model and the extent to

which it produces comparable results for different groups and facilitates social mobility between generations.

The new Nordic co-operation programme on working life, adopted in 2013,

is focusing on demographic developments and will make recommendations. It will establish what action needs to be taken to meet the demographic challenges, such as mobilising internal labour resources, improving the matching of labour supply and demand, encouraging lifelong learning based on labour market needs, and making the Nordic Region attractive to non-European labour with sought-after skills.

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If today’s young people are to remain at work longer than previous generations, a good working environment that provides against occupational health problems is essential. During the year, the Swedish Presidency joined with the Swedish ILO Committee and the Nordic Institution for Advanced Training in Occupational Health (NIVA) in organising a conference that focused attention on various aspects of young people’s working environments.

The Nordic Region in the world

Nordic co-operation is well-known in the world; not in detail and not in the way it is organised, but we are seen as a group of countries that are similar, think alike and act alike. This perception works to our advantage. The organisational core of our countries’ co-operation is the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers.

In addition, Nordic co-operation is pursued in a number of other

structures. These are mutually reinforcing and give the Nordic Region a greater chance of enlisting support for Nordic views and positions in the international arena. Much of our Nordic co-operation is older than the Nordic Council of Ministers. This is true for instance of Nordic legislative co-operation, which is informal in nature but very extensive. In recent years, foreign and security policy co-operation outside the Council framework has been steadily growing. The Swedish Presidency period also generated an inventory of new areas of co-operation and a review of the prospects for closer Nordic co-operation within the UN. During the year, Sweden chaired meetings of the Nordic prime ministers and foreign ministers (N5) and also chaired the corresponding meetings in the Nordic-Baltic sphere (NB8). The Swedish Presidency will be summarised in a progress report.

Given the Nordic countries’ unique proximity to one another and our basic

policy consensus in many areas, it is natural for us to continue developing our foreign and security policy co-operation. We work closely together in our foreign services, at home and at our embassies, and we plan to intensify the Nordic field co-operation that is already under way at some 30 locations around the world. We also co-operate closely on emergency preparedness. We have moreover been co-operating on defence issues for many years, and have now pooled our efforts in the Nordic Defence Co-operation set-up, NORDEFCO. The principal aim of this collaboration is to strengthen the participating countries’ military capability at national and international level.

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A Nordic declaration of solidarity in the area of foreign and security policy was issued in 2011.

The Nordic countries have joined the Baltic countries and the UK in establishing the Northern Future Forum to discuss common challenges for the future. The countries in this group have met three times at prime minister level and intend to hold further meetings. During the year, the countries in the Nordic-Baltic sphere held their first-ever meetings at foreign minister level with the Visegrad countries and Japan.

The Nordic Council of Ministers for its part maintains a particularly close

relationship with the Baltic countries and North-Western Russia. This has continued during the Swedish Presidency and resulted among things in the development of new guidelines due to apply from 2014. Contacts between the Nordic Council of Ministers and the EU have continued under the Union’s Baltic Sea Strategy. Over the past year, the Nordic Council of Ministers’ observership in the Arctic Council has benefited from the fact that Sweden has headed both organisations.

In February, the Nordic Council of Ministers’ information office organised a

seminar at Rosenbad in co-operation with the Norden Association and Global Challenge, entitled ‘Nordic ways out of the crisis’. Sweden’s Minister for EU Affairs was the opening speaker. Discussion centred on the future development of Europe and what role the Nordic countries might play. The Minister for EU Affairs spoke about the crisis of values in Europe and described how the Nordic countries with their tradition of openness and gender equality could have an important part to play in the years to come.

A further example of Nordic consensus on important international issues

was evident when President Barack Obama on his visit to Sweden held a meeting with the Nordic prime ministers and a joint statement was issued affirming co-operation on global issues such as climate change and human rights.

The increasingly outward-looking character of Nordic co-operation has led

to a growth of international interest in our working procedures. Efforts in this area have been stepped up and are now itemised as ‘international co-operation’; a special budget post has been created for the dissemination of information and the development of contacts with the surrounding world.

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The Nordic Cool culture festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington in February and March 2013 was a highly visible manifestation of the Nordic Region’s place in the world. It drew over 200 000 visitors and a total of 750 artists from the Nordic countries. The fact that the Kennedy Center itself took responsibility for the selection of participating artists and works, and also adopted a strong ownership position, contributed very significantly to the success of the event. In addition, the festival programme included seminars and other activities designed to illustrate and showcase the Nordic model and Nordic core values. Moreover, all food that was served or sold at the festival was based on the ‘Nordic food’ concept. This meeting with a North American audience added a valuable new dimension to our understanding of how the Nordic Region is viewed externally.

Nordic Cool focused attention on the Region in both a cultural and a

political perspective, and gave the Nordic countries a unique platform for joint co-operation and dialogue with the US. The 2013 festival also led to more developed forms of co-operation and continued Nordic collaboration with other cultural institutions in Washington.

Reform of the Nordic Council of Ministers

Nordic co-operation must adapt to the demands of a new era. This is one of the conclusions to be drawn from a presidency period that featured themes of decisive importance for each and every one of the Nordic countries.

When Nordic co-operation encounters new demands, it needs to reform

the way it works. Recently, a number of decisions have been taken to this end. A priority budget has been established for the funding of innovative co-operation projects not covered by the regular long-term budget. The Swedish Presidency was the first to have access to the priority budget, and used it to finance four different programmes, described earlier in this report.

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The Secretary-General of the Nordic Council of Ministers has been assigned by the ministers for co-operation to undertake a broad review of the organisation’s efficiency. The results of this study will then provide a basis for reform proposals in 2014. In 2012, the Nordic governments decided to reduce the Nordic Council of Ministers’ budget by five per cent in 2014 and by up to a further five per cent in 2015–2016. This decision has helped to encourage discussion of which issues to accord priority and how Nordic co-operation can be rendered more effective. Reassessments of priorities must be made easier.

As part of the effort to achieve a sustainable Nordic welfare model, the

Nordic ministers for health and social affairs have called for an independent inquiry in the shape of a report with proposals as to how Nordic co-operation on health issues may be improved and intensified over the next 5–10 years. This report is being prepared by Bo Könberg for discussion at the meeting of ministers for social affairs in June 2014. It will also represent a contribution to the reform programme.

Discussion of reforms is essential and will continue. The ministers for co-

operation have been asked to consider how the budget can again be used more flexibly, innovatively and strategically in the years ahead, and have devoted several meetings to the question of future forms of co-operation in the Nordic Council of Ministers. In the light of this discussion, the Swedish Presidency has contributed a number of reflections on the work of the Nordic Council of Ministers, which may provide a further basis for reform efforts in this area.

Nordic co-operation needs to reflect political realities in the member

countries more closely and thereby enhance its political relevance.

22 S U M M E R I N G N O R D I S K A M O D E L L E N I E N N Y T I D – 2 0 1 3

Action taken

The list below contains only the input described in the Presidency programme. A number of other joint Nordic initiatives were decided on and implemented during the year. These are described either in the text of this report or on the Swedish Government’s website, www.regeringen.se.

• ‘More young people in work in the Nordic Region’ – compare experiences

to ease the path to work for young people

• ‘Job summit’ attended by Nordic prime ministers and focusing on youth

unemployment

• Informal ministerial meeting on integration

• Conference on complementary training for academics trained abroad and

assessment of foreign qualifications

• Nordic exchanges of experience about debt

• Presentation of the Swedish ‘cosmopolitans’ project

• Complete review of work on barriers to cross-border mobility

• Presentation of study on gender equality in schools

• Analysis of and conference on economic consequences of gender

inequality

• Seminar on children’s rights

• Meeting on media literacy as a key to freedom and democracy

• Conference on the role of culture in learning

• Conference on digitalisation, digital preservation and digital access to

cultural heritage

• Conference on future Nordic business policy

• Conference on a new Nordic co-operation programme for regional policy

2013–2016

• Establishment of the NordMin joint mining project

• Conference on local supply of capital

• Conference on ‘the modern forest’. Modern Industrial Wood Construction

– on a path towards a bio-based economy.

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• Individual ministerial councils’ work on the new sustainability strategy to

be intensified

• The Nordic Council of Ministers’ fifth conference on sustainable

development

• Presentation of common principles for an ecosystem-based approach to

marine planning

• Conference on ecosystem-based fisheries management

• Launch of a Nordic initiative on reduction of short-lived climate agents

• Conference on co-operation on the Nordic countries’ roadmaps for zero

net greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050 was replaced by a Nordic-Baltic

dialogue on roadmaps etc

• Nordic efforts initiated to prevent and recycle waste

• Development and adoption of new policies for the energy sector 2014–

2017

• Conference on modern eating habits

• Created a Nordic platform for managing regional demographic

challenges

• Developed programmes with project funds for the practical

management of demographic questions

• Conference on the quality of care for elderly people

• Conference on the Nordic social model

• Swedish Presidency of N5

• Swedish Presidency of NB8

• Developed guidelines for future co-operation with neighbouring areas

• Hosted an EU meeting on the theme of the Nordic Region and the EU

• Nordic performing arts festival at the Kennedy Center, Washington DC

44 the nordic model in a new era – 2013

Ved Stranden 18DK-1061 Copenhagen Kwww.norden.org

ISBN 978-92-893-2407-6ANP 2012:749

Further information about the Swedish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers is available at www.regeringen.se/norden2013

Contact details for the Swedish Presidency: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs EU Unit The Nordic-Baltic Group SE-103 39 Stockholm Sweden Telephone (switchboard): +46 8 405 10 00