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First steps towards a United Nordic Federation!

In 20 years the Nordic countries have joined together to form a federal state with a common constitution and state leadership. Your children invent new energy sources at a Nordic top university on a par with Harvard and Oxford. Our head of state travels to international summit meetings with the political power to influence global issues. That is what the future looks like, at least according to historian and social critic, Gunnar Wetterberg.

Oct 27, 2010

The Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Council will launch Gunnar Wetterberg's United Nordic Federation on 1 November. In his new book the author advocates one of the most fascinating socio-political ideas of the 21th century – the formation of a federal state by the Nordic countries.

Gunnar Wetterberg develops the thinking behind the concept of a federal state, which would allow the Region to take its natural place in world politics. "It is reasonable to believe that it may take 15–20 years to form a United Nordic Federation”, he explains.

A federal Nordic state with a population of 25 million would make the Region the world’s 10th-largest economy.

The Region would have a seat at the EU, the G20 and the UN tables and a say in the big decisions forced upon the world by globalisation and the financial crisis.

Wetterberg points out how a common research policy and the establishment of a research council would be sure to create new world-class universities.

Nordic students will be able to choose between a joint research university offering Masters degree programmes from Copenhagen/Lund, Oslo/Gothenburg, Stockholm/Uppsala/Helsinki, Reykjavik/the Faroes/Greenland.

The United Nordic Federation will be launched as the Nordic Council of Ministers and Nordic Council Yearbook 2010 in the Grand Hotel, Reykjavík, on 1 November.

Politicians and business figures will discuss Wetterberg’s ideas at a seminar, at which the author himself will be in the hot seat to explain and defend his vision.

In his own words, "the United Nordic Federation is a realistic utopia. It is a vision lying and waiting for political action, across borders, both geographic and political".

Registration

If you wish to attend the launch please register with Henrik Killander, email: heki@norden.org.

Contacts

Jesper F. Schou-Knudsen
Phone +45 33 96 03 55
Email jsk@norden.org

Torkil Sørensen
Phone +45 33 96 04 46
Email ts@norden.org

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