About the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers
The Nordic Council
The Nordic Council was formed in 1952 and is the forum for Nordic parliamentary co-operation. The Council has 87 elected members, representing the five countries and three autonomous territories. The members of the Council are members of the national parliaments, who are nominated by their respective political party. There is thus no procedure for direct election to the Nordic Council.
The Nordic Council, which is led by a Presidium, has held an ordinary Session every autumn since 1996. Special sessions on specific themes are organised in between. On-going political work in the Nordic Council is conducted through committees and party groups.
The Nordic Council is managed by a Secretariat which shares its premises with Secretariat of the Nordic Council of Ministers in Copenhagen. Moreover, the Nordic Council has national secretariats in the Nordic parliaments, attached to the delegations of the respective countries.
The Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers share personnel, finance and service departments. Information activities are managed by a joint communications department.
The Nordic Council of Ministers
The Nordic Council of Ministers, formed in 1971, is the forum for Nordic governmental co-operation. Overall responsibility for the Nordic Council of Ministers lies with the respective Prime Ministers. In practice, responsibility is delegated to the Ministers for Nordic Co-operation (MR-SAM) and to the Nordic Committee for Co-operation (NSK), which co-ordinates the day-to-day work of the official political Nordic co-operation.
Despite its name the Nordic Council of Ministers consists, in fact, of several individual councils of ministers (MR). Most of the Nordic ministers for specific policy areas meet in a council of ministers a couple of times a year. The Chairmanship of the Council of Ministers, which is held for a period of one year, rotates between the five Nordic countries. Decisions made in the Council of Ministers are unanimous.
Issues are prepared and followed up by the various Committees of Senior Officials (ÄK or EK) which consist of civil servants from the member countries.
The Nordic Prime Ministers meet regularly - such as before meetings of the European Council, in the circle of European heads of state and government. The ministers for foreign affairs and defence hold their regular meetings outside the formal framework of the Nordic Council of Ministers.
