New year, new initiatives
Members of parliament from all of the Nordic countries and Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland will converge on Copenhagen for the meetings on 21–22 January. Political issues will mainly be addressed by the five committees, i.e. Environment and Natural Resources, Business and Industry, Welfare, Culture and Education and Citizens' and Consumer Rights.
European player
Sweden took over the Presidency of the Council from Norway at the start of the year with an ambition of enhancing the role played by the Region in Europe. The three other priorities for the Swedish Presidency are the Nordic labour market, 200 years of peace between the Nordic countries and sustainable extraction of natural resources.
Read more here: Sweden's programme for the Presidency of the Nordic Council, 2014
Sustainable development
Responsible management of natural resources will be high on the agenda of several of the committees at the January meetings. Environment and Natural Resources will consider a committee proposal about technology for water purification based on new information that it is more cost-effective to purify water than to prevent emissions from agriculture. Another proposal is for the Nordic Region to act as a bridge between the developed and developing countries in global climate negotiations.
The Committee would also like to see closer co-operation on transport. It is already working closely with the Business and Industry Committee on the subject, as well as on the proposals for fish farming in recycling plants and smart solutions for electricity supply. High on the agenda of the Business and Industry Committee are also sustainable mining, a Nordic fashion manifesto and joint procurement by public-sector agencies.
Welfare and freedom of movement
The main themes on the Welfare Committee's agenda for 2014 are welfare provision in the Nordic districts and that all Nordic citizens should enjoy equal rights and access to social- and health services, no matter where they live. The Committee will also meet with Bo Könberg, who the Nordic governments have commissioned to study options for working more closely together on health.
The Citizens' and Consumer Rights Committee will continue to seek a political solution to the issue of Norwegian pensioners living in Sweden who feel that the Swedish state has misinformed them about Nordic tax rules. It will also look at what more the Nordic countries can do to guarantee human rights for textile workers in developing countries employed by Nordic companies.
