PM joins Nordic Council meeting begins in Reykjavik

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will attend the Nordic Council Session beginning in Reykjavik, Iceland on Monday, said a government press release.

Minister of Education Anders Adlercreutz, who is responsible for Nordic cooperation, and Minister of Science and Culture Sari Multala will also join the delegation led by the Prime Minister in the four-day session, which will continue till Thursday.

On Tuesday, Orpo will attend the Nordic Council Plenary. Finland will hold the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2025, and Prime Minister Orpo will present the programme for Finland’s Presidency during the session.

The Finnish government will carry out the Presidency in cooperation with the government of Åland.

The programme for Finland’s Presidency supports the shared vision of the Nordic region as the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. During the Presidency, Finland will also pay particular attention to promoting security in society.

“Next year’s Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers is a significant opportunity for us. We are strongly committed to promoting Nordic cooperation and developing it further. An important goal for us is to strengthen the Nordic countries’ resilience to crises and its preparedness for civilian crises and hybrid threats,” said Orpo.

The Nordic prime ministers and the heads of governments of the autonomous regions will take part in the traditional dialogue with the members of the council at the session on Tuesday.

This year, the main theme of the Nordic Council Session is peace and security in the Arctic region and the Nordic countries.

The traditional joint meeting of the Nordic prime ministers and the heads of governments of the autonomous regions will focus on work to dismantle barriers to freedom of movement between the Nordic countries, organised crime and migration.

Before the session begins, on Monday the Nordic prime ministers will meet to discuss topical international issues.

Minister Anders Adlercreutz will take part in a meeting of ministers for Nordic cooperation in connection with the session.

Minister of Science and Culture Sari Multala will attend the meeting of the Nordic ministers of culture and the meeting of the Nordic Council’s Committee for Knowledge and Culture in the Nordic Region.

She will also have a bilateral meeting with Norway’s Minister of Culture and Equality Lubna Jaffery and pay visits to Business Iceland and Edda, the House of the Icelandic Language, among others.

The Nordic Council Session in Reykjavik will bring together all 87 members of the Nordic Council.

During the session, the Nordic Council will discuss topical proposals and hear ministers’ reports on the work carried out in various policy areas during the year.