Speaker: Halldór Ásgrímsson

Venue: Eldborg, Iceland

Date: Feb 26, 2009

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all – ministers, delegates and our chairperson, Lykke Friis. We have been looking forward to getting the 2009 Globalisation Forum underway. And now the moment has arrived!

I would also like to welcome to our guests from abroad, Professor Kenneth Rogoff from Harvard University and Dr. David Carlsson, Director of the International Polar Year’s international programme.

And to you, Stephen Ciesinski, I would like to give an especially warm welcome. You took the plane from California at a few hours’ notice due to the sudden illness of Curtis Carlsson. As Vice President of Stanford Research Institute International with overall responsibility for the Innovation Partnerships Programmes, we know you are the right person to be here today.

We are very pleased that the three of you were able to join us here today in Iceland to give us food for thought. It is good to have some non-Nordic speakers to look at our region and share with us your reflections on how we should act and maybe give us some ideas about how we should not act. We are very much looking forward to listening to your input.

I would also like to thank the three people who have agreed to lead the workgroups: Kjell Bendiksen, Kristina Persson and Fidrik Már Baldursson. I hope you have positive and open-minded discussions with a lot of commitment and new perspectives on well known themes. And finally I would also like to thank all those who have been responsi-ble for the preparations in the run-up to this event.

This is the second Nordic Globalisation Forum. The Forum gives us an opportunity – openly and informally – to discuss topical issues that are high on the agenda – both in the individual Nordic countries and on the joint Nordic agenda.

Our objective is that this gathering will generate new ideas and thoughts about how the Nordic countries can benefit collectively from the opportunities presented by globalisa-tion and stand together to face the challenges we have.

Much has happened since we met in Rigsgrænsen last April. The world around us has changed. Last year, we felt quite at ease in the saddle, although we were not wearing blinkers. We saw the clouds on the horizon. Today, the situation is quite different. Our economies are under far more pressure. The Icelandic economy is almost unrecognis-able. We hear of job losses every day. People and companies are worried.

And the question is how we can approach the changes collectively and proactively– what initiatives can we launch to get the economy growing again? What about promoting green growth? Does the way forward lie in environmental technology and education and training? Do we have the basis for good innovative growth environments or are there shortcomings? What particular challenges do the small Nordic economies face? Where do we stand and what can we do? These are not easy questions – but they are relevant and have to be asked.

The Nordic Council of Ministers has produced two reports that feed into our debate. One is the Globalisation Barometer, which you know from last year. This year it is more focused and looks more specifically at the areas where we have challenges. Amongst other things it highlights the small currencies. Is this feasible in the present economic climate?

The other report, which has been produced for the first time, is an Innovation Monitor, which provides an overview of the innovation climate in the Nordic societies. Are we as innovative as we ourselves think, or is there something we need to change there too? Amongst other things, the report highlights the low level of entrepreneurship in the Nordic countries – how can that be increased? And are there other initiatives where the Nordic countries can profit by pooling knowledge, experience, finance and political clout?

A classic example of such an initiative is the Excellence in Research Initiative. Excellent research and innovation in the climate, environment and energy fields and, in the second phase, the focus will be on health and well-being. A wide-reaching initiative. Both in terms of scope and financially. And I am absolutely convinced that this type of joint ap-proach can and should be pursued in other areas. We have much to gain by working together– not least when it comes to attracting international participation and financing. I look forward to hearing the chairman of the management board, Rolf Annerberg, launch the actual initiative here today.

May I briefly take this opportunity to refer to another initiative which the Nordic Council of Ministers has launched based on the prime ministers’ Nordic globalisation process. Together with the Danish think-tank Monday Morning, we have developed the concept of the ‘“Nordic Climate Solution”. This comprises both conferences and exhibi-tions about Nordic climate and energy solutions. The first conference in Copenhagen in the autumn, which was opened by the Swedish prime minister, was a success, with over 1000 delegates from 40 countries. We very much hope that the next conference in Sep-tember will be up to the same standard. You are all very welcome.

And today the Nordic Council of Ministers is launching the joint website “Nordic Energy Solutions”. This will contribute to international marketing of Nordic energy solutions and help us to meet the demands made of a progressive climate policy. Not just in the Nordic countries, but globally.

Having said all that, you may be sitting there and thinking– what will happen when everybody has gone home? Will the words, ideas, criticism and suggestions be acted upon or will the ideas just drift out over the Atlantic and into oblivion? No, they won’t. We will note down the ideas and produce a report which will feed into the Nordic system. For inspiration and getting things moving. We will pay close attention to each and every word and be active when it comes to follow-up.

Finally, the need for global solutions has not decreased, rather it has increased. Global solutions require close co-operation among actors. Isolation and protectionism are no answer to international challenges. Regional answers and Nordic solutions will be needed as part of a global solution. So I am convinced that more Nordic co-operation is needed to meet new challenges in a global context.

And now I will hand over to you, Lykke. We are very pleased that you had the time and interest to guide us through these two days. With your background and your commit-ment, I am confident that we will succeed. – Over to you.