Nordic agreements and legislation

Helsingforsaftalen er samarbejdsoverenskomsten mellem Danmark, Finland, Island, Norge og Sverige. Overenskomsten undertegnedes den 23. marts 1962 og trådte i kraft den 1. juli samme år. 

Helsingforsaftalen er samarbejdsoverenskomsten mellem Danmark, Finland, Island, Norge og Sverige. Overenskomsten undertegnedes den 23. marts 1962 og trådte i kraft den 1. juli samme år. 

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Norden.org
A number of agreements between the countries govern official Nordic co-operation. The agreements listed below are of crucial importance to Nordic co-operation. They are available in full-text versions, This page also contains links to databases of national legislation in the Nordic countries.

Please read the Nordic Council of Ministers’ disclaimer before reading these versions of the Nordic agreements.

Disclaimer

Please note that this is not an official version of the legislation and should only be used as a documentation tool. It has no legal force and must not be used for legal purposes.

The Nordic Council of Ministers does not accept responsibility for the content of these texts or for any errors in them. The official version of the texts are available from the foreign ministry in the country where the agreement is stored.

The amendments and corrections mentioned have been entered into the text. However, the Nordic Council of Ministers does not guarantee that the text is up to date at all times.

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The Helsinki Treaty

The Helsinki Treaty – Agreement on Co-operation between Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The treaty was signed on 23 March 1962 and took effect on 1 July of that year. The original text has been amended by agreements signed on 13 February 1971, 11 March 1974, 15 June 1983, 6 May 1985, 21 August 1991, 18 March 1993 and 29 September 1995. The most recent amendments came into force on 2 January 1996.

Agreement on Cultural Co-operation

Agreement between the Nordic countries concerning cultural co-operation. Signed on 15 March 1971 and came into force 1 January 1972. Amendments were signed 13 June 1983, 6 May 1985 and 15 September 1989. The most recent amendment came into force on 1 June 1990.

Agreement on Common Nordic Labour Market

The agreement on the Common Nordic Labour Market was signed on 6 March 1982 and came into effect on 1 August 1983, replacing a previous agreement of 22 May 1954.

The Nordic Passport Control Agreement

The agreement of 12 July 1957 between Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway on the waiving of passport checks at internal Nordic borders, subsequently acceded to by Iceland on 24 September 1965 and amended by way of the agreement of 27 July 1979, with the supplementary agreements of 2 April 1973 and 18 September 2000. The Faroe Islands have been covered by the agreement since 1 January 1961.

The Language Convention

Convention concluded by Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway on Nordic citizens' right to use their own language in another Nordic country.

Agreement concerning the legal status of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Secretariat and the Nordic Council’s Secretariat

Signed 13 May 1987, came into effect 13 October 1989. The original text was amended on 29 October 2004 and the changes came into force on 29 December 2005. The agreement regulates the legal status of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Secretariat and the Nordic Council’s Secretariat.

Agreement between Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden concerning the legal status of the Nordic institutions and their staff

The agreement was signed on 9 December 1988 and came into force on 21 December 1989. The original text was amended on 3 July 2002 and the changes came into force on 27 July 2008. Agreement concerning the legal status of the Nordic institutions and their staff.

Other Nordic agreements and legislation

The Nordic countries all have databases of their national legislation. The databases can also contain information about international agreements.