More co-operation is the key to Nordic Vision 2030
Nordiska rådets vicepresident Helge Orten, OECD:s vicegeneralsekreterare Ulrik Vestergaard Knudsen, Nordiska ministerrådets generalsekreterare Karen Ellemann, Islands minister för nordiskt samarbete Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson, Danmarks minster för nordiskt samarbete Louise Schack Elholm.
The Vice-President of the Nordic Council, Helge Orten; the Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD, Ulrik Vestergaard Knudsen; the Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers, Karen Ellemann; the Icelandic Minister for Nordic Co-operation, Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson; and the Danish Minister for Nordic Co-operation, Louise Schack Elholm.
Vision 2030 strives to make the Nordic Region the most integrated and sustainable region in the world and focuses on three strategic priorities: a green, competitive and socially sustainable Nordic Region. This year, the Nordic Council of Ministers requested input from both the Nordic Council and various civil society actors in the Nordic countries about how best to turn this vision into a reality. Based on the vision’s three strategic priorities, the discussion at the conference generated input from representatives of business, research, young people and members of the Nordic Council.
Co-operation is the keyword
The Secretary-General of the Nordic Council of Ministers, Karen Ellemann, has no doubt about the day’s core themes:
“Co-operation, strong co-operation and even stronger co-operation! Everybody agreed we can and must work more closely together. The Nordic countries all have different perspectives that enrich the political discussion, so we came together to generate initiatives that will make the Nordic Region even stronger and contribute solutions to global challenges.”
AI, dynamism and participation by young people
The Vice President of the Nordic Council, Helge Orten, who concluded the discussion at the conference, summed up his three main takeaways from the event.
“First, co-operation on AI is hugely important for the future. If we are to keep up with the rapid pace of progress in this area, the requisite infrastructure needs to be in place. Secondly, we must continue to make sure that young people’s voices are heard and that they play a role in decision-making in the Nordic Region. Thirdly, in addition to working together, we must also ensure that we are capable of making swift decisions in a rapidly changing world.”
Work on the new Action Plan for Our Vision 2030 will continue over the next 12 months, with a view to presenting it at the November 2024 Session of the Nordic Council.
