Agreement concerning cultural co-operation

13.05.19 | Treaties and Agreements
Agreement between Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden concerning cultural co-operation. Signed on 15 March 1971, came into force 1 January 1972. Agreements amending the above-mentioned agreement signed on 13 June 1983, on 6 May 1985 and on 15 September 1989. The latest amendment came into force 1 June 1990.

Information

Signing of agreement
15.03.1971
Effective date for the agreement
01.06.1990
Signing countries
Denmark
Finland
Iceland
Norway
Sweden

Disclaimer

Please note that this text is not an official version and that the text should not be used for legal purposes. The Nordic Council of Ministers takes no responsibility for the contents of the text including eventual errors in the text.

___________________

Preamble to the agreement signed on 15 March 1971

The Governments of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden,

 

Proceeding from the close community of cultural interests between the Nordic countries,

 

Attaching great importance to the highly diversified and comprehensive co-operation which is taking place with the support of the Nordic Council and other agencies concerned with co-operation,

 

Referring to the 1962 Agreement between Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden concerning co-operation,

 

Have agreed as follows :

Preamble to the agreement signed on 13 June 1983

The Governments of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden,

 

Having signed the Agreement between the Nordic countries concerning cultural cooperation on 15 March 1971, and

 

Deeming it expedient to amend the Agreement,

 

Have agreed as follows:

Preamble to the agreement signed on 6 May 1985

The Governments of Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark,

 

Having amended the Agreement of 15 March 1971 between the Nordic countries concerning cultural co-operation by an Agreement of 13 June 1983, and

 

Wishing to increase the efficiency of Nordic co-operation procedures,

 

Have agreed as follows:

Preamble to the agreement signed on 15 September 1989

The Governments of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden,

 

Having amended the Agreement of 15 March 1971 between the Nordic countries concerning cultural co-operation by the Agreement of 13 June 1983 and 6 May 1985, and

 

Deeming it expedient to amend the Agreement,

 

Have agreed as follows:

Purpose of the agreement

Article 1

The purpose of this Agreement is

  • To strengthen and intensify cultural co-operation in a broad sense between the Contracting Parties in order to develop further the Nordic community of cultural interests and to increase the combined effectiveness of the five countries' investments in education, research and other cultural activities through joint planning, co-ordination, collaboration and division of labour, and also

 

  • To create the practical conditions for smoothly functioning co-operation.

 

Article 2

A further purpose of the Agreement is to lay a foundation for concerted action in international cultural co-operation.

Spheres of activity

Article 3

Co-operation in educational matters shall be concentrated on

a. The aims, content and resources of education,

 

b. The structure of the educational system, and

 

c. Pedagogical development work.

 

In connexion with the foregoing, the Contracting Parties shall

d. Encourage instruction in the language, culture and social conditions of the other Nordic countries,

 

e. Expand the facilities for students and other nationals of one Nordic country to study and obtain degrees at educational establishments in the other Nordic countries,

 

f. Institute joint instruction or joint educational establishments, particularly in the most advanced and specialized educational fields,

 

g. Bring about a mutual recognition of degrees, partial qualifications and other documentary evidence of educational achievement,

 

h. Endeavour to co-ordinate publicly organized instruction intended to provide qualifications for specific occupations, in such a manner that it provides the same qualifications in all the contracting States, and

 

i. Endeavour to satisfy the desire of nationals of one Nordic country living in another Nordic country to obtain instruction in their own language.

 

Article 4

Co-operation in research matters shall be concentrated on

a. Information on research work and the results of research,

 

b. Joint research projects,

 

c. Joint research institutions,

 

d. Research policy methods and resources,

 

e. The organizational structure of research, and

 

f. Co-ordination of national research programmes.

 

In connexion with the foregoing, the Contracting Parties shall

g. Promote the arranging of symposia, conferences and meetings of scientists from the Nordic countries and also promote joint scientific publication ventures, and

 

h. Endeavour to encourage scientists and research institutions of two or more Nordic countries to engage in more active forms of co-operation and to share the use of particularly expensive or highly specialized equipment.

 

Article 5

Co-operation shall extend to other cultural activities in a broad sense and shall be concentrated on

a. The objectives, content and methods of general cultural policy, and

 

b. Institutional, organizational and financial aspects of cultural life.

 

In connexion with the foregoing, the Contracting Parties shall co-operate on

c. Artistic and other cultural exchanges between two or more Nordic countries,

 

d. Activities within the media, which comprise radio, television, film, video and other electronic media, including production and distribution, with regard to cultural aspects.

 

Archive, library, museum and other cultural service activities

Activities for the protection of culture.

___

1. Paragraph d. amended 1989/90.

 

ePromoting the activities of associations and organizations with general cultural aims, including youth and sports work,

 

f. Establishing conditions favourable to creative work in and the practice of all branches of the arts, and

 

g. Improving facilities for artists and cultural workers to carry on their activities in the Nordic countries.

 

Article 6

The Contracting Parties shall strive to act in concert at the international level within the fields covered by this Agreement and shall co-operate with a view to

a. Disseminating information on cultural life in the Nordic countries, and

 

b. Reaching a common or co-ordinated position on international cultural co-operation.

 

Decisions may be taken concerning joint representation in connexion with participation in international cultural co-operation.

 

Article 7

Co-operation shall extend to informational and documentation work within the fields covered by articles 3, 4, 5 and 6 of this Agreement.

Co-operation agencies and forms of co-operation

Article 8

Co-operation shall take place through the Nordic Council of Ministers established pursuant to the 1962 Agreement between Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden concerning co-operation with subsequent amendments, through meetings of ministers of the Nordic countries, through the agencies set up in accordance with this Agreement and directly through the competent authorities of the Nordic countries.

 

Co-operation under this Agreement shall take place with the support of the Nordic Council.

 

Article 9

The Council of Ministers (the Ministers of Culture and Education) shall take such decisions as are necessary to realize the aims of the Agreement.

 

2. Paragraph amended 1985.

 

Artikcle 10

As part of the implementation of this Agreement, a Committee of Senior Civil Servants for Nordic cultural co-operation shall be set up.

 

The Council of Ministers shall establish committees and working groups for special tasks.

 

2. Amended in 1985.

 

Article 11

The committee of civil servants shall consist of one government-appointed member from each country. Civil servants from the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Ahvenanmaa (Aland) may participate in the meetings of the committee.

 

The committee of civil servants shall carry out preparatory work for the Council of Ministers and shall carry out such tasks as the Council of Ministers assigns to it or authorizes it to carry out.

 

The Council of Ministers shall establish the rules of procedure of the committee of civil servants.

 

3. Amended in 1983.

 

Article 12

The Secretariat of the Nordic Council of Ministers shall assist the Council of Ministers and the Committee of Senior Civil Servants. It may also assist other Nordic agencies responsible for co-operation if the Council of Ministers so decides."

 

2. Amended in 1985.

 

Article 13

In order to attain satisfactory collaboration between the agencies responsible for co-operation and the competent national authorities, the Contracting Parties undertake to ensure that work on the co-operation matters covered by this Agreement is effectively organized at the national level.

 

Article 14

Each Contracting Party shall consult the other Contracting Parties in the Council of Ministers, at other ministerial meetings or in the committee of civil servants before taking any important decisions in the fields covered by this Agreement.

Financing of co-operation

Article 15

Co-operation shall be financed from the budget of the Council of Ministers as mentioned in article 64 of the Agreement between Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden concerning co-operation, with subsequent amendments.

 

The Council of Ministers shall arrange for the preparation of budget proposals and decide on the distribution of funds for joint institutions, programmes and other activities within the overall framework forming part of the joint Nordic budget.

 

2. Amended in 1985.

Final provisions

Article 16

This Agreement shall be ratified and the instruments of ratification shall be deposited as soon as possible with the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

The Agreement shall be deposited with the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which shall transmit certified copies thereof to each of the Contracting Parties.

 

The Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the date on which the instruments of ratification of all the Contracting Parties have been deposited.

 

4. Articles 16 to 19 of the Agreement shall be deleted and the present articles 20 to 22 shall be renumbered 16 to 18, according to the agreement signed on 6 May 1985.

 

Article 17

Should any one of the Contracting Parties wish to denounce the Agreement, written notification to that effect shall be given to the Finnish Government, which shall forthwith inform the other Contracting Parties, specifying the date on which the notification was received.

 

The Agreement shall expire at the end of the calendar year in which it is denounced by any one of the Contracting Parties, provided that notification of denunciation is received by the Finnish Government not later than 30 June of any calendar year, failing which the Agreement shall expire at the end of the following calendar year.

 

Article 18

Following the receipt of a notification of denunciation, consultations shall take place between all the Contracting Parties on a settlement of their rights and obligations under the Agreement.

[- - -]

Final provisions to the agreement signed on 15 September 1989

This Agreement shall enter into force 30 days following the date on which all Parties have notified the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs that they have approved the Agreement.

 

The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall inform the other Parties of the receipt of these notifications and of the date for the entry into force of the Agreement.

 

The original text of this Agreement shall be deposited with the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which shall provide the other Parties with certified copies thereof.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned Plenipotentiaries have signed this Agreement.

 

DONE at Copenhagen on 15 September 1989, in one copy in the Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish languages, all the texts being equally authentic.

[- - -]

_________________

Unless otherwise indicated, the translation of this text into English has been made by the Secretariat of the United Nations, See 825UNTS11828, 1357UNTS11828, 1440UNTS11828, and 1607UNTS11828.