Nordic Region to make a difference in the EU
"We need to remove unreasonable obstacles to cross-border freedom of movement so that the Nordic Region can serve as a launch pad for companies making inroads into the larger European market," said Bertel Haarder, Danish Minister for Nordic Co-operation, at Wednesday's major seminar on the Nordic Region and the EU.
"We need to remove unreasonable obstacles to cross-border freedom of movement so that the Nordic Region can serve as a launch pad for companies making inroads into the larger Europe market," said Bertel Haarder, Danish Minister for Nordic Co-operation.
- Photographer
- Johannes Jansson/norden.org
His Swedish counterpart Johan Tiedemann backed the idea, characterising the Nordic Region as a union of the mind, one that should not be undermined by obstacles to cross-border freedom of movement.
"The Nordic countries need to become far better at implementing EU legislation in a uniform manner," he pointed out.
Árni Þór Sigurðsson, chair of the Icelandic Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, believes that the Nordic countries are capable of exerting greater influence on the drafting of EU legislation.
"We can inspire and influence EU legislation so that, for example, fisheries policy becomes far more sustainable," he said.
In fact, the environment is one area in which Denmark, Finland and Sweden have already made their mark on EU policy, as associate professor Gunnhildur Lily Magnúsdóttir explained while presenting her research findings during a panel discussion.
She reported that, even though the three Nordic EU countries have less than 7% of the voting rights on the EU Council of Ministers, the Region's strong green image has been an effective tool for influencing EU environment policy.
Halldór Asgrimsson, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers, stressed that Iceland's potential membership of the EU would strengthen the Nordic voice in Europe, especially in relation to the North Atlantic.
The Nordic Region's strong co-operative tradition has also had a major impact on the EU's Baltic Sea Strategy, as pointed out by Colin Wolfe of the EU's Directorate General of Regional Policy.
"The special strength of the Strategy is that each individual Baltic state has committed itself to running specific projects," Wolfe said.
According to Ole Schmidt, Head of Globalisation at the Danish Chamber of Commerce, establishing the Baltic Sea as a region constitutes a major challenge.
Jan Høst Schmidt, the EU's Head of Representation in Denmark, saw the Baltic Sea Strategy as a golden opportunity to exert direct influence on EU policy.
"For that reason, it is extremely important for the Nordic Council of Ministers to work to ensure the implementation of both the Strategy and the many practical projects," Schmidt concluded.
The seminar was held at the Nordic Council of Ministers' office and was organised by the European Commission and the Nordic Region in Focus in Denmark.
Contacts
Louise Hagemann
Phone
+45 33 96 03 31
Email
loha@norden.org
