The Nordic Region – leading the way in green growth
The prime ministers have commissioned the ministerial councils to develop a number of tangible areas in which the Nordic countries can work together to generate growth and prosperity. The Nordic Region has the potential and the political will to lead the way in dynamic green business growth and sustainable solutions. The prime ministers' proposal prioritises Nordic test centres for green solutions; education, training and research for green growth; flexible consumption of electricity; green-technology norms and standards; green procurement in the public sector; techniques and methods for waste treatment; the integration of environmental and climate considerations into development aid, and funding for green investment and companies.
- Photographer
- Johannes Jansson/norden.org
"Green growth will play an important part in our collective efforts to combat the negative effects of climate change. Current trends in the global market for green technology leave plenty of scope for the Nordic countries and Nordic companies to make progress. Cost-effectiveness is a prerequisite for green growth and conversion. The Region is ideally placed to become an international leader in green growth, which will provide a major boost to job creation, competitiveness and the environment," the prime ministers said in a joint press release.
If the Nordic Region is to lead the way in green growth, a wide range of measures will be required on several fronts. The prime ministers have delegated responsibility for the close and effective co-ordination of the work by the ministerial councils to the Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers, who will submit the first progress report back to them at their annual summer meeting in 2012.
The decision was made at the 2011 meeting of the Globalisation Forum in Copenhagen on 31 October. The priorities are described in greater detail in the report ”The Nordic Region – leading the way in green growth”.
Background: At their annual summer meeting in Punkaharju, Finland in 2007, the prime ministers launched a joint globalisation initiative focusing on areas in which the Region is capable of generating significant Nordic synergy and added value by acting together in the face of increasingly fierce international competition. The aim is to make the Nordic Region more knowledgeable, visible and prosperous.
In summer 2010, the prime ministers set up the Nordic Working Group for Green Growth, consisting of representatives of the five Nordic states, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland. The group's remit was to study the potential for green growth in the Region, map out specific positions of strength and identify the potential for Nordic synergies and added value.
