Reform of Nordic cooperation – Kimmo Sasi will represent Finland

Press release 47/2016
17 March 2016

At their meeting on 3 March 2016, the Ministers for Nordic Cooperation decided to continue reforms related to the political work of the Nordic Ministerial Council. The aim is to enhance the cooperation so that it will be more worthwhile for the Nordic Governments, business life and civil societies. The matter has been under preparation for the past six months alongside work done by the Finnish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers.

The current phase of the reform, led by the Secretary General, consists of five themes related to different forms of cooperation and working methods. They are (1) the division of work between the Nordic Councils of Ministers and possibility for ad hoc set-ups; (2) development of the position of the Ministers for Nordic Cooperation; (3) opportunity for closer cooperation in a variety of combinations; (4) the relation between agreement-based cooperation and informal cooperation conducted by, for example, the Foreign Ministers, Ministers of the Interior, and Ministers of Defence; and (5) other initiatives that contribute to the overall aim.

The Secretary General is supported by national high-level representatives, nominated by the Ministers for Cooperation, who serve as advisers. Minister Anne Berner has invited Master of Laws Kimmo Sasi to represent Finland. Sasi has served in the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Council in 1987–2015, and held the Presidency of the Nordic Council in 2012.

The other national representatives are Gunvør Balle from the Faroe Islands, Siv Friðleifsdóttir from Iceland, Anna-Lena Sjöberg from Åland, Christian Ulrik Syse from Norway, Nils Christian Wang from Denmark and Gunnar Wetterberg from Sweden. Greenland will appoint its representative later.

Inquiries:
Kari Kahiluoto, Chief of the Secretariat for Nordic Cooperation, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, tel. + 358 295 351 556 and
Kristo Lehtonen, Special Adviser to Minister Berner, Ministry of Transport and Communications, tel. +358 50 464 9779.