Response to interpellation 2024/25:165 on cooperation in the Nordic region

Statsrådet Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Mr. Speaker! Eva Lindh has asked me how I assess the possibilities for improved cooperation within the Nordic region after what she calls current events, and whether I intend to take any measures to improve cooperation within the Nordic region.

I agree with Eva Lindh that Nordic cooperation is more important than ever. When the government presented the Swedish chairmanship of the Nordic Council of Ministers a year ago, it was noted that ever closer Nordic cooperation is crucial for our countries' common prosperity and resilience. The uncertain global situation and Finland's and Sweden's entry into Nato have contributed to further strengthening the ties not only within the Nordic region but around the entire Baltic Sea. It is by standing together that we become stronger and safer.

During the year, the Swedish presidency has prioritized strengthening competitiveness and pushed forward for a green and digital transition. What also characterized the Swedish presidency is a closer exchange of experience and knowledge in issues where we see common Nordic challenges, such as organized crime and preparedness issues.

Within the framework of the Council of Ministers, we have continued to strengthen cooperation regarding preparedness in healthcare and elderly care, food supply, as well as transport and infrastructure. For example, the Nordic Ministers of Agriculture and Rural Affairs adopted, at their meeting in Karlstad in June, a declaration on strengthened and deepened cooperation on preparedness issues, robustness and resilience within fisheries and aquaculture, agriculture, food, and forestry.

Sweden and Denmark have agreed on a revised Öresund Agreement. The new tax agreement is good for Swedish growth, for all the tens of thousands of commuters who cross the Öresund daily, and for all Danish and Swedish companies that want to invest in our countries. We cooperation ministers have adopted a program for free mobility in the Nordics that strengthens our joint work in identifying and removing border barriers. We have taken important steps towards removing obstacles to Nordic integration in the digital world when it comes to identity matching and communication between our citizens and authorities in other Nordic countries.

These are just some of the areas within which we have strengthened cooperation within the Nordic region.

Like, the member is I have quite recently returned from the Nordic Council's session in Reykjavík, and I can state that the Nordic cooperation is dynamic and consistently highly prioritized in the Nordic countries. The government appreciates the Faroe Islands', Greenland's and Åland's commitment and active role in the Nordic Council and regrets that the Faroe Islands and Greenland chose not to participate in meetings they were invited to.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Eva Lindh (S)

Mr. Speaker! One can of course wonder why the undersigned is asking the same question again, and as an explanation I can say that we have indeed received a new Nordic Minister. I would like to welcome the Minister to the new assignment. Just as the Minister told, we were both on site in Reykjavík for the Nordic Council, and it was somewhat the feelings that arose there that made me want to ask the question to the new cooperation minister that Sweden has and hear reflections on the situation we are in.

In order for those watching to understand this, I want to give some kind of picture of what it is that has happened and why I am asking the question about the Nordic cooperation. What has happened – at least during the more recent period, perhaps since half a year ago or so – is that Greenland's government heads have boycotted the Nordic Council. This is against the background of, it is referred to as, that the Swedish government did not invite Greenland, Åland, and the Faroe Islands to a Nordic summit in Stockholm earlier this summer. They were also not invited later, quite recently, to the same.

It is also about a statement made by the former Nordic Minister. I do not in any way want to ask the Minister to review this statement, as I believe that would be overstepping. That is not what I am asking for. But the former Swedish Nordic Minister responded to a statement in a way that was perceived as very negative by several in this cooperation – especially regarding the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

Both the statement and the fact that one has not been invited to collaborations have led to Greenland boycotting the cooperation within the Nordic Council. It is thorny and sensitive for the Faroe Islands, which is also the background we have, and what has happened over the last half year has played a role. That is the background to my question.

What we also live in, which I believe many of us agree on, is that Nordic cooperation is perhaps more important than ever. We find ourselves in a very difficult situation in many different ways, and it is with countries, with neighbors who live close to each other: When one finds oneself in a difficult and tough situation, neighbors are important. The cooperation one has with neighbors and the support and security one has in neighbors becomes even more decisive.

What I am talking about is, of course, the uncertain international situation we find ourselves in, with war in our vicinity and the fact that we do not quite know what will happen after the election on the other side of the Atlantic. This security situation affects Sweden very much, and it affects the Nordic countries very much – but it also affects Greenland and the Faroe Islands very much. All of this makes me concerned about the risk that we cannot overcome the situation we have ended up in, and that is why I am asking the Minister for Nordic Affairs if she can draw some conclusions from this. I also wonder: Where are we headed, and what do we need to do?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Statsrådet Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Mr. Speaker! I truly agree with what the member says about the fact that Nordic cooperation is perhaps more important than it has been in a long time. If I put on my hat as EU Minister, I can see that we are also working ever more closely and more jointly in that context between the Nordic countries, as well as sometimes in the Nordic-Baltic region, in standing up for the support for Ukraine and in many other important issues. I therefore truly agree.

I would still say that the government, during the chairmanship of the Nordic Council of Ministers, has further strengthened cooperation in a number of areas, which I was touching upon. We genuinely appreciate the commitment - and active role, I would say - of the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland in the cooperation. They can be present with their own representatives in practically all contexts within the Nordic Council. There, they can submit proposals and present their views. They do not have voting rights, of course, but we know that decisions in practice are made through consensus within the Nordic cooperation. It therefore rarely constitutes a problem.

We can also look back to 2007, when the participation of the autonomous areas was strengthened through the Åland Document. Through it, they are given the opportunity to take an active part in the current country's chairmanship, participate in the cooperation ministers' question time in the Nordic Council, answer questions and recommendations from the Nordic Council and also apply for full membership in Nordic institutions and cooperation bodies. The latter opportunity has been utilized by the Faroe Islands in particular; in recent years, they have applied for and been admitted as members of the Nordic institutions Nordisk Energiforskning, Nordforsk, Nordic Innovation and Nordgen.

Next year - that is what we heard during the session - the chairmanship of the Council of Ministers of Finland and Åland will also be held jointly, which was made a major point.

The question of full membership in the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers has been raised on numerous occasions over the years. It has also been analyzed on several occasions by expert lawyers. The conclusion is, in essence, somewhat simplified, that international treaties such as the Helsinki Accords are concluded between states. Within international law, the concept of the state itself is central. The Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland are, as a rule, represented by Denmark and Finland respectively, and this also has implications in other foreign policy contexts than just those concerning the Nordic Council of Ministers.

The legal conditions have not changed in substance since we discussed the issues earlier, but there is a development within the Danish Realm where the Danish government has embraced an increased degree of self-determination for Greenland and the Faroe Islands within the framework of the Realm. The fact remains, however, that the Danish Constitution does not allow Greenland or the Faroe Islands to become self-governing in areas concerning, among other things, foreign, defense, and security policy, even though they have obtained some increased influence through specially established coordination bodies.

Within the framework of the Swedish presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers, the autonomous territories have been invited in the usual manner to all meetings, including the prime ministers' meeting that took place in Reykjavík now at the end of October and where a joint declaration on the removal of border obstacles was adopted. Greenland and the Faroe Islands chose to decline, which the government regrets.

The autonomous regions, however, were not invited to the summit in Stockholm in May with the heads of government of the Nordic countries and Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, nor to the summit between the heads of government and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the end of October. That meeting followed an established order where the chairing country invites and decides on the agenda. In these cases, issues were discussed where the autonomous regions do not have their own decision-making competence.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Eva Lindh (S)

Mr. Speaker! I must say that one as a Member of Parliament - and actually also as an inhabitant and citizen of Sweden - wants to be proud of one's country and of one's government, regardless of whether one has voted for it or not. This is therefore a seriously intended debate or discussion, because I think it is troublesome when one as a Member of Parliament in Sweden encounters the frustration and anger over how this has been handled. It becomes concerning, and therefore I still think it is important that we clarify what should happen in the future.

I hear what the Minister says and that there are explanations for why the self-governing territories were not invited to summits or such. But that is not how it is perceived by others. Both the Faroe Islands and Greenland have said that they have been invited previously but that it suddenly stopped – and that was during Sweden's presidency. This is perceived very negatively.

Often in conflicts, even on a human level, one can feel that someone is wrong. One can argue and say: No, that is not how it was; we can demonstrate that it was so in this year or that it works in a different way. But now there is still a frustration, and a thorn remains. This was also clear when we met in Reykjavík during the Nordic Council meeting.

The statement that was made and the fact that one was not invited has affected our cooperation, and I regret that. My perception is that this was very clear when thanks were given for all the support and addressed to all nations except Sweden. It is still a clear official marking that this still does not feel good.

When we cooperate in the Nordic region, it is naturally the collective, that which we do jointly, that is crucial. But it is clear that the cooperation between different countries and how one meets each other plays a role, not only in the future and in future cooperation between Sweden and, for example, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, but also for the common cooperation in the Nordic region.

I would therefore like to ask the Minister: Is there anything further that Sweden can do to improve the cooperation so that we can achieve that good cooperation we have actually once had, in a time when we really need the Nordic cooperation so much?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Statsrådet Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Mr. Speaker! As I tried to describe, the Nordic cooperation is extremely important. I believe that the autonomous regions have a very important and obvious role in that context.

What can Sweden do? Well, among other things, express exactly this but also try to explain the background to why invitations are extended to certain meetings in a certain format and to others in another. As I expressed, the government, within the framework of the Swedish chairmanship of the Nordic Council of Ministers, has in the usual manner invited all, including the autonomous regions.

Since then, two meetings of a somewhat different character have taken place, one with Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz and another with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where the issues discussed were issues where the autonomous regions did not have their own decision-making competence. This was the background. Otherwise, in the usual and customary meetings as well as in all other cooperation within the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers, the autonomous regions have a self-evident place.

I also want to return to the fact that our cooperation is more relevant than ever before. A recommendation has been issued by the Nordic Council regarding a review of the Helsinki Treaty. This is an important element in this discussion because it regulates the forms of cooperation. The starting point is nevertheless that the agreement in many ways serves and has served us well because the Nordic cooperation is dynamic and flexible, despite or perhaps thanks to the fact that we do not regulate exactly all parts in our agreement in detail.

I have great respect for the fact that we may devote the discussion to the institutional. But let us also establish that there are very many important political or other prioritized issues for the Nordic cooperation moving forward, which perhaps were sometimes overshadowed in Reykjavík but which are quite important to keep our eyes on as well moving forward. It is about continued work against border obstacles in the Nordic region, continued work for strengthened competitiveness, the fight against organized crime, the climate and, not least, continued support for Ukraine.

I hope that we will be able to find good forms of cooperation for all this, in order to jointly move the work forward in the Nordic Council and the ministerial council. Here in the government, we have our primary focus: to truly drive these issues forward within the Nordic cooperation.

A potential review of the Helsinki Accords will, in addition to that, become a rather resource-intensive, difficult and complex process. One needs to take into account national legislation, the constitution, international law and EU law. But let us also remember that, in addition to the formalized cooperation in the Nordic Council, there are other, well-established and functioning Nordic government cooperations - in the fields of foreign affairs and defense, including the informal foreign and security policy cooperation N5 and NB8, the defense cooperation Nordefco and, regarding crisis management, the so-called Haga cooperation.

I see, therefore, that we need to deepen and work together on several fronts in the Nordic region and both discuss institutional issues and, not least, solve the cross-border issues that we truly have to handle.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Eva Lindh (S)

Mr. Speaker! I nevertheless want to address an appeal to the Minister to do what she can to improve the cooperation that needs to be improved with, above all, but not only, the Faroe Islands and Greenland in order to strengthen the Nordic cooperation. If this does not happen, it can actually have serious consequences. It is important that this cooperation works, both for us and for the whole of the Nordics.

One should also think a bit outside of what the Minister was touching upon. This is about being able to be flexible regarding the formal and the informal, because that is how cooperation happens - isn't it? I do not need to teach the Minister this, so I apologize. But it is important to do what we can to strengthen the cooperation.

With this, I thank you very much for the debate.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Statsrådet Jessica Rosencrantz (M)

Mr. Speaker! Many thanks, Member, for those words! Again: I share the view that we need a strong Nordic cooperation, where everyone feels included and welcome. We in the government do what we can to emphasize the value of all participating parties in this and can do nothing other than return to the forms we have. At the admittedly few ministerial council meetings that I myself, since I took office, have managed to both participate in and lead as chair, I have perceived that we have a very good cooperation even with the self-governing regions in those contexts and that everyone truly gets a say. I perceive that it is the same thing in the Nordic Council. There is, therefore, much positive to build on.

In addition, we naturally need to discuss the institutional issues, which follows from the recommendation that the Nordic Council directed. It will be the new Finnish chairmanship in the Nordic Council of Ministers that is tasked with coordinating that work moving forward.

I believe it is about safeguarding the good cooperation and moving forward with any institutional issues that need to be addressed – this applies to both the political messages we have received and the question of participation – but at the same time not forgetting that in the midst of all this, we have an important job to do in tearing down border barriers, not least for many of the citizens in our Nordic countries who live in the border regions and see that there are real deficiencies that we must deal with. I believe we agree on much in this.

The interpellations debate was hereby concluded.

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