New Nordic Region: Proposal for revamping Nordic Co-operation

04.04.14 | News
Mail Facebook Linkedin Twitter
On 4 April, the Nordic Committee for Co-operation received a modernisation report New Nordic Region. Secretary General Dagfinn Høybråten is reporting back on the mandate given to him by the Nordic governments when he took up the post in the spring of 2013, to modernise, streamline, and renew Nordic co-operation, The Nordic governments will discuss the recommendations in the report at the Nordic Committee for Co-operation's meeting in April and at the meeting of the Ministers for Co-operation in June.

When Dagfinn Høybråten took up the post of Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers in March 2013, he was given a mandate by the Nordic Committee for Co-operation to look for ways to streamline and improve Nordic Co-operation, particularly regarding decision-making processes and administrative practices in the Council of Ministers, the Nordic institutions, projects in Nordic Co-operation and finally, the Nordic budget.

39 concrete recommendations

Based on analysis work, Secretary General Høybråten will now present the report New Nordic Region with 39 concrete recommendations, which will reform co-operation between the Nordic governments. The recommendations will help to:

- strengthen co-operation at ministerial level by ensuring better content and dynamic political co-operation,

- ensure an efficient secretariat which supports the political co-operation,

- ensures clarity in the roles and responsibilities for the partners in Nordic co-operation,

- create a new Nordic budget which is a real management and prioritisation tool,

- get more Nordic synergy out of the Council of Ministers' project and programme activities,

- ensure a clearer governance of the Nordic institutions.

The Secretary General's recommendations will be discussed by the Nordic Committee for Co-operation on 23 April and later discussed at the Nordic Ministers for Co-operation meeting on 26 June.

Ambitious proposals

Dagfinn Høybråten has said in this connection:  

"As Secretary General for the Nordic Council of Ministers I am happy that the Nordic governments continue to have ambitious visions for Nordic co-operation. We have achieved many concrete results for the benefit of Nordic citizens over the years, but an organisation which does not search for continuous improvement will fall behind. So I am now making a number of ambitious proposals which I consider essential to secure the future of Nordic co-operation", says Dagfinn Høybråten, who is looking forward to the governments' discussion of the proposals.

The report can be obtained by contacting to the Nordic Council of Ministers' Publications Department.

Related content