The Nordic House on the Faroe Islands: Narratives about the Nordic Region and the idea of the world's most integrated region
Come and listen to Professor Johan Strang from Finland and Dean Bergur Djurhuus Hansen from the Faroe Islands as they share perspectives on where the Nordic Region stands and what the future might bring. A panel of experts, including the Faroese Minister for Nordic Co-operation, Bjarni K. Petersen, and one of the Faroese members of the Danish parliament, Anna Falkenberg, will then discuss the challenges and opportunities for Nordic co-operation at a time when international tectonic plates are shifting rapidly.
The event is being organised by NORA, the Nordic House in the Faroe Islands, the Nordic Association and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Information
Faroe Islands
Please note that the event will last from 15–17:00 GMT.
Programme
15:00 Welcome - Bjarni K Petersen, Minister for Nordic Co-operation.
15.05 The Nordic Region – the most integrated region in the world – 60 years ago?
Presentation by Johan Strang, Associate Professor, Centre for Nordic Studies, University of Helsinki.
The Nordic Council of Ministers has an ambition for the Nordic Region to be the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. The new geopolitical situation has brought Finland and Sweden into NATO but also led to new tensions. And when it comes to everyday life for the people of all of the Nordic countries, the question is whether we were closer to the goal 60 years ago than we are today.
15:30 Narratives about the Nordic Region
Presentation by Bergur Djurhuus Hansen, PhD, dean, Faculty of Language and Literature, the University of the Faroe Islands.
Narratives about our part of the world are changing. We associate the Nordic Region with co-operation, welfare and mutual interests in culture and art. We associate the Arctic primarily with sparsely populated areas, climate change, access to raw materials, new shipping routes and military build-up. Parts of the Nordic Region are sometimes referred to today as Arctic, sometimes Nordic, depending on the context. The Arctic is a strong new regional actor – politically and in our minds. What happens when one narrative is swapped for another?
15:50 Break
16:00 Debate
- Panel: Bjarni K Petersen, Minister for Nordic Co-operation, Professor Johan Strang, Dean Bergur Djurhuus Hansen, Anna Falkenberg MP and Liljan Weihe MEP.
- Chair: John Johannesen, journalist.