Nordic co-operation on languages

The ability to communicate usually presupposes a common language, but ​​there are enough similarities for Danish, Norwegian and Swedish speakers to understand each other. For historical reasons, Danish has enjoyed a strong position as a foreign language in Iceland, and Swedish is one of Finland’s two official languages. As part of the same kingdom, Danish is strong in Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Swedish is the official language of Åland. 

Responsibility for Nordic language co-operation is divided between two different councils of ministers. The Nordic Council of Ministers for Education and Research (MR-U) has the overarching responsibility, and the Nordic Council of Ministers for Culture (MR-K) has the sectoral responsibility. Both of them prioritise the Nordic language community and have children and young people as one of the target groups in their co-operation programmes. 

Co-operation on languages is regulated by four different agreements: The Helsinki Treaty, the Agreement concerning cultural co-operation, the Language Declaration and the Language Convention.

The Helsinki Treaty states that the Nordic countries must seek to preserve and develop co-operation in the legal, cultural, social and economic spheres, as well as in the areas of infrastructure and environmental protection. Regarding mutual language comprehension, Article 8 (2) of the Treaty states: “Educational provision in the schools of each of the Nordic countries shall include an appropriate measure of instruction in the languages, cultures and general social conditions of the other Nordic countries, including the Faeroe Islands, Greenland and the Åland Islands.”

Similarly, the objective of the Agreement concerning cultural co-operation is closer and more intensive co-operation between the Nordic countries in the cultural sphere. The purpose of the agreement is to help increase the overall impact of national investments in education, research and other cultural activities, and ensure that the countries work together to develop the Nordic cultural community. For example, Article 3 d reads: “Encourage instruction in the language, culture and social conditions of the other Nordic countries.”The Language Declaration (Declaration on Nordic Language Policy) was signed by the ministers of education and culture at a joint meeting in Stockholm in May 2024 and replaces the 2006 version. The declaration was designed to form the basis for an overall, cohesive, long-term, and effective language policy. Follow-up work on these objectives will be laid out in regularly updated work programmes. The current work programme is the first one and covers the period 2025–2027. The programme has been drawn up jointly by the Nordic Council of Ministers for Education and Research and the Nordic Council of Ministers for Culture, with input from the Nordic Council of Ministers’ other sectors. 

In addition to the agreements, the Nordic Language Convention also applies to co-operation on languages. The convention, which entered into force in 1987, is legally binding for all Nordic countries. It addresses the national governments. Its purpose is to help ensure that Nordic citizens, in certain contexts, are able to communicate in their own languages with official bodies in other Nordic countries. Responsibility for following up on the provisions in the convention rests with the appropriate national agencies, while national legislation safeguards individual rights.

The Nordic Council of Ministers’ Secretariat coordinates co-operation on languages. The Nordic Committee of Senior Officials for Education and Research (EK-U) acts as the steering group for the work. The Nordic Council of Ministers supports two networks to ensure that the main languages in the Nordic Region, the national minority languages and the sign languages all develop and remain alive in the digital age: the Nordic Language Councils network and the Nordic Sign Language Network.

Several funding options are available for language-related projects in the Nordic Region.

Stakeholders in the Nordic and Baltic countries can apply to the Nordplus programme. This applies in particular to the Nordplus Nordic Languages sub-programme, but also to the other four sub-programmes. Nordplus Nordic Languages places particular emphasis on activities that improve children’s and young people’s understanding of Nordic languages, primarily Danish, Norwegian and Swedish. The programme covers language courses for teachers, student teachers and other students taking relevant higher education programmes.

Nordic Culture Point is responsible for the administration of the culture sector’s various funding schemes, several of which can be relevant sources of funding for language projects. For example the Culture and Arts Programme, which funds innovative projects of high quality, and the Mobility Programme, which provides funding for collaborative projects between Nordic and Baltic countries.

Culture and language projects in which children and young people are directly involved in the planning and implementation may also apply for funding from NORDBUK or VOLT.

In some cases, it may be relevant for language projects to apply for funding to the Nordic Culture Fund.

The action plan describes how the Nordic Council of Ministers will work to achieve the objectives of the vision through a number of initiatives in connection with the vision’s three strategic priorities: A green Nordic Region, a competitive Nordic Region, and a socially sustainable Nordic Region. There are twelve objectives linked to the strategic priorities. The strategic priorities and objectives will govern all activities in the Nordic Council of Ministers over the next four years. The action plan is divided into twelve sections linked to the twelve objectives.