The summit will follow a meeting of the Presidium of the Nordic Council, the agenda for which includes a discussion about whether to request an "Annual EU Report" from the Nordic governments.

The Presidium and the Baltic Assembly will also discuss whether the Nordic and Baltic countries have common interests in the EU. Working together on selected issues would allow the Nordic and Baltic states to exert greater influence within the Union.

The situation in Belarus will be another key point on the agenda. The Nordic Council and Baltic Assembly have been holding a series of roundtable talks with members of the Belarus opposition and government since 2007. Dialogue was, however, suspended after the disturbances — and the state's violent reaction to them — that accompanied elections in Belarus in December. The meeting in Iceland will discuss what activities involving Belarus might be feasible at the current time.

The 20th anniversary of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia regaining their independence will also be marked at the summit. Former Icelandic Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson, will take part in the celebrations, showing guests around Höfði House, where Iceland became the first country in the world to recognise the independence of the three Baltic states.

The Presidium of the Nordic Council will meet in Þjóðmenningarhúsið, 09-15:00, on Thursday 8 December. The annual summit with the Baltic Assembly will be on the same day and at the same venue from 15.30 onwards.

Baltic Assembly's press release.

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

Tina Bostrup
Phone +45 33 96 04 52
Email tib@norden.org

Silje Bergum Kinsten
Phone +45 33 96 02 51
Email siki@norden.org