This year, the offices of the Nordic Council of Ministers in the Baltic countries are celebrating their 20th anniversary. They were established in the wake of the Soviet breakdown and in many ways helped draw the three Baltic states back into the European mainstream.

That was one of the conclusions of a discussion between Halldór Ásgrímsson, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM), and Ambassafor Raul Mälk, Estonias Special Envoy for the Baltic Sea Region.

The success of the cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries has been bolstered by effective institutions like the Nordic Investment Bank and successful initiatives like the Nordplus education programme, said Halldór Ásgrímsson, when speaking of past achievements of the Nordic Council of Ministers in the Baltic states - hear more:

The increasing interrelatedness of the Nordic and Baltic economies is an additional sign of an ever closer relationship, added Ambassador Mälk, who expected further integration between the five Nordic and the three Baltic countries in the future.

The two interlocutors also discussed the future of Baltic cooperation:

The discussion took place on October 25th at the stand of the NCM at the BDF Summit 2011 in Gdansk, where the Baltic Development Forum held its 13th Summit alongside the EU Commissions second annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.

Michael Funch
Phone +45 33960332
Email mifu@norden.org