Any decision in favour of English as the working language of the UNR would be against the Nordic Language Declaration, the minister points out.

"Using English at their meetings is completely out of the question. It is incompatible with the very concept of Nordic co-operation," Haarder told Politiken.

The minister thinks that the young politicians will render themselves ineligible for funding if they opt to communicate in English.

According to the President of the UNR, Lisbeth Sejer Gøtzsche, the content of their work and debates has to be more important than the language they use.

"And since understanding neighbouring languages is not a priority in the Nordic education systems, youngsters find it increasingly necessary to communicate in English so they are able to understand each other at all," she says.

Professor Jørn Lund of the Nordic Language Council disagrees with her assessment. "Language is an important part of the common Nordic culture and a key to understanding rather than a barrier," he thinks.

Lund does however acknowledge that the problem is due to negligence in the teaching system over the last 25 years, a problem which he says the Nordic Language Declaration is designed to alleviate.