Nordic Council of Ministers for Sustainable Growth (MR-VÆKST)

The Nordic countries work together on business, energy and regional policy in order to encourage ongoing growth. The objective behind the creation of frameworks for an innovative business climate, both in urban and rural areas, is to maintain the region’s high level of competitiveness without negatively impacting upon the environment, the climate, or society as a whole.

Co-operation has a special emphasis on

  • Creating a pan-Nordic business climate by removing obstacles to cross-border trade
  • Boosting innovation in Nordic companies and in regional co-operation on innovation policy
  • Improving co-operation with the region’s neighbours
  • Ensuring well-balanced regional development

In the energy sector:

  • Guaranteeing supplies
  • Harmonising the Nordic electricity market
  • Promoting the development of sustainable energy sources
  • Putting the Nordic Region at the forefront of international development

Co-operation on regional development and planning is based on the fact that the conditions for creating growth and pursuing the green transition vary across the Nordic Region. Co-operation covers:

  •  Creating green and inclusive urban development
  • Creating green and inclusive rural development
  • Developing robust and innovative regions

 

Co-operation is led by the Nordic ministers for business, energy, and regional policy. The ministers meet once a year to discuss and initiate co-operation in areas of joint Nordic value.

The Nordic Committee of Senior Officials for Business Policy, the Nordic Committee of Senior Officials for Energy Policy, and the Nordic Committee of Senior Officials for Regional Policy, which each consist of representatives from all of the countries, meet four or five times a year and prepare proposals for presentation to the ministers.

The Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers in Copenhagen is responsible for the day-to-day running of Nordic inter-governmental co-operation.

The Secretariat houses the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Department for Growth and Climate, which prepares questions for submission to the Nordic Council of Ministers for Sustainable Growth and its committees of senior officials.

The Secretariat is also responsible for implementing decisions once they have been taken.

The Nordic Council of Ministers for Sustainable Growth supports and funds a number of institutions and border committees.

The institutions are:

The co-operation bodies are:

The border region committees

Co-operation in the Nordic border regions consists of the 13 border region committees. The committees work in the border regions traversing Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway. 

The border region committees work primarily to promote commercial competitiveness in the regions, identify and break down barriers to freedom of movement, develop sustainable and climate-friendly environmental and energy solutions, and develop infrastructure and communication relevant to the border regions and land use in these areas.