Nordic Council
Nordic Council in Europe
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Nordic Council
Introduction to Nordic Council
Nordic Council, common advisory council of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden), consisting of parliamentary delegations and appointed cabinet representatives of each. It was founded in Copenhagen in 1953 by Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden; Finland joined in 1956. The council holds annual sessions of five to ten days (there have also been special sessions) in the five Scandinavian capitals on a strict rotation basis. of the 87 elected representatives, Denmark has 16, Finland 18, Iceland 7, and Norway and Sweden 20 each. The Faroe Islands are represented by 2 members, as are Ahvenanmaa (Åland Islands). Members serve for one session only but may be reelected. The council's work falls mainly in the social, economic, and cultural (including communications) fields, its main objectives being to increase inter-Scandinavian cooperation and to coordinate national laws and practices. Resolutions take the form of recommendations to the five governments and are usually acted upon favorably." (1)
Description of Nordic Council
The Concise Publication of the European Union describes nordic council in the following terms: [1] The Nordic Council is a body of parliamentarians from Denmark, Finland,Iceland, Norway and Sweden which meets twice a year to review and co-ordinate policy on matters of common interest. Unlike Benelux, the Nordic Council is a loose arrangement with no tangible economic arrangements, these being subsumed within EFTA and the EEA. It does, however, have a passport-free zone which is in negotiations with the EU over the Schengen Agreement.
Despite their many shared characteristics (including egalitarianism, a Lutheran ethic and a positive attitude to the welfare state), the Nordic bloc countries have parted company over the European dimension of their military, political and economic affairs. Denmark, Iceland and Norway are in NATO, whereas Finland and Sweden are neutral; and no Scandinavian country is a full member of the WEU, the embryonic European defence force. Iceland and Norway are outside the EU, whereas Denmark and Sweden are in, but at the Euroscepticend of the spectrum (neither joined the first wave of participants in the single currency). Finland alone has adopted the euro.
The reasons for these differences are historical. Having a 750-mile border with Russia, Finland attaches great importance to aligning itself with its West European neighbours. Sweden has benefited from remaining independent of alliances for nearly 200 years. and Denmark, Iceland and Norway are essentially Atlanticist in outlook.
Resources
Notas y References
Based on the book "A Concise Publication of the European Union from Aachen to Zollverein", by Rodney Leach (Profile Books; London)
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See Also
Resources
Notes and References
Information about Nordic Council in the Encarta Online Publication