Nordic Council and German EU Committee in joint talks

The challenges facing Europe were discussed when members of the Nordic Council visited the German Bundestag in Berlin and met with the Committee on the Affairs of the European Union. The meetings were part of their ongoing programme of inter-parliamentary co-operation between Germany and the Nordic Region.

One of the topics discussed was the possibility of the UK leaving the EU, and the discussions reflected a clear, shared hope that the British people will vote to remain in the EU on 23 June.

European co-operation under pressure

Dam Kristensen delivered the opening remarks at several meetings in Berlin that were also attended by the Vice President of the German Bundestag, Ms Edelgard Bulmahn. He identified some of the current crises facing Europe.

“Economic co-operation – most acutely in the Eurozone – has been under heavy pressure, even though the worst may be over. The post-Cold War era of détente is threatened by Russian aggression – first in Ukraine, but now also in Syria. A number of countries in the Middle East and North Africa are on the brink of collapsing, resulting in a massive surge of refugees and migrants to the EU. And now the EU is under threat of a British exit,” he said.

“The EU is a partnership of nations – large and small, north and south, east and west. And that partnership is under pressure on a number of fronts.”

“We cannot claim to have collective Nordic solutions to all of these problems. But we are at least willing to discuss the challenges with our neighbours – including, of course, Germany.”

Germany is a major European powerhouse

Also present was Hans Wallmark, member of the Presidium of the Nordic Council, who stressed the importance of Nordic-German co-operation.

“Germany is a major European powerhouse and a key partner for the Nordic countries. Closer and stronger co-operation is important for all of us. We are all facing severe challenges, such as migration, terrorism and Russia’s behaviour in neighbouring areas. This provides the Nordic Region with the opportunity to strengthen our economic, defence and security ties with Germany. The wide-ranging support for our meeting in Berlin suggests that there is an equally strong interest from the Bundestag side,” he said.

The Nordic Council delegation consisted of Erkki Tuomioja(Finland), Hans Wallmark (Sweden), Michael Tetzschner (Norway) and Rigmor Andersen Eide (Norway).

German politicians who attended the meetings included:

CDU/CSU: Prof. Dr Egon Jüttner, Michael Vietz, Sr Christoph Berger, Iris Eberl and Ursula Groden-Kranich.

SPD: Franz Thönnes, Deputy Chairperson, Dr Lars Castellucci and Dr Dorothee Schlegel.

Die Linke: Stefan Liebich and Andrej Hunko.

Bündnis 90/Die Grünen: Marieluise Beck and Manuel Sarrazin.