The Nordic Council of Ministers for the Environment (MR-M)
Nordic co-operation on the environment is designed to preserve and improve the quality of the environment and of life in the Nordic Region, exert influence on regional and international co-operation, and help to implement Nordic strategies for sustainable development.
Nordic inter-governmental co-operation on the environment is headed up by the Council of Ministers for the Environment (MR-M), which consists of the environment ministers from all of the Nordic countries and Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland. The council meets two or three times a year. It makes decisions on the guidelines for co-operation, joint Nordic environmental efforts, Nordic co-operation in an international context, activity funding and strategic questions.
Structure
Under the council of ministers is the Committee of Senior Officials for the Environment (EK-M) which prepares the meetings of the ministers, follows up on the decisions taken and ensures that the Environment Action Plan is implemented.
EK-M has also set up a Working Group (AU), consisting of representatives of national environment institutions, which will plan and co-ordinate its activities.
The Nordic Council of Ministers' Secretariat in Copenhagen is responsible for the day-to-day running of Nordic inter-governmental co-operation. It is responsible for, among other things, following up and co-ordinating the large number of working groups involved in Nordic environmental co-operation.
The council of ministers funds a number of institutions and co-operation bodies that contribute to achieving the sector's political objectives within their respective policy areas.
International co-operation
The Nordic countries' international co-operation on the environment is funded and supported by the
Other important partners in the international environmental work include the:
The Nordic Ecolabel is the responsibility of the Council of Ministers for the Environment. The Nordic Ecolabelling Board is an important body of co-operation in this work.
Objectives and visions
The environmental challenges that we face must be addressed collectively, at national, regional and global level. The Nordic countries need to work more closely together and make use of all of the available resources in order to find joint solutions.
The Nordic countries' vision is that the Region will take the lead on the environment. This will include publicising positive examples of environmental initiatives so that others are able to benefit from Nordic experiences. Environmental co-operation is based on the principle of Nordic synergy, which involves the countries working together to achieve better results than they can by working alone.
Together, the Nordic countries make an important contribution to environmental developments at both European and global level. By working together, the Nordic countries are able to contribute to international environment work through positive initiatives and practical solutions. This work will be continued and developed.
Nordic co-operation on the environment was reorganised at the start of 2009, in line with the Nordic working group structure. The reorganisation was necessitated by the new targets and priorities set out in the Environment Action Plan 2009-2012.
Priorities
The environment sector has opted to prioritise the following four topics in the period 2009-2012:
- Climate and air
- Sea and coastal zones
- Biological diversity and ecosystem services
- Sustainable consumption and production
In order to promote integration of environmental considerations in other Nordic sectors, emphasis will also be placed on inter-sectoral collaboration.
The priorities have also been influenced by the Nordic prime ministers' globalisation initiative and the priorities of the annual Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers, which rotates between the Nordic countries.
The environment sector will pay particular attention to following up on the results of the negotiations at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen (COP 15).
Other priorities include following up on the UN decision to initiate negotiations on a binding global mercury agreements, the work on ecosystem-based administration of sea and coastal areas, eutrophication and hazardous substances in the marine environment; e.g. through ongoing Nordic and national follow-up on HELCOM's action plan for the Baltic Sea, biological diversity and Nordic input into the UN bio-diversity conference, and the Nordic Ecolabel.
