Nordic cooperation: What is the Nordic Council?

Nordic cooperation has developed over several decades across several policy areas. In recent years, there has been a greater Nordic focus on defence and security cooperation.

The Nordic Council and Nordic Council of Ministers

The Nordic Council was established in 1952 by Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Finland joined in 1955, with the Danish autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland, and the Finnish autonomous territory of Åland, joining later. It brings together parliamentarians from its member states, with 87 members in total.

The Nordic Council of Ministers was established in 1971, as a forum for government ministers to meet (in separate ministerial formations). The Nordic Prime Ministers also meet annually.

Nordic cooperation was formalised in the Helsinki Treaty of 1962, which has been amended several times. 

The two bodies have brought cooperation across a range of policy areas including economic policy, the labour market, culture, education and research, transport and communications, and the environment. Nordic Council initiatives have included establishing the Nordic passport union, providing for passport-free travel and the right to live and work across the area for Nordic citizens, joint transport projects, and uniform postal and telecoms rates.

More recently there has been a focus on the challenges posed by climate change and collaboration to promote a green transition.

New focus on defence and security cooperation

Defence and security cooperation was initially challenging for the Nordic countries due to different positions and strategies adopted during the Cold War. However, the Nordic Council and Nordic Council of Ministers have increasingly discussed security cooperation since the 1990s.

In the 2020s Nordic Council sessions have had a renewed focus on defence and security, with a new international strategy adopted in March 2023 in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the applications by Finland and Sweden to join NATO (meaning all five Nordic Council members would be NATO members).

The work of the Nordic Council in 2025 and 2026 has also focused on improving cooperation on comprehensive security, covering both military and civil preparedness for crises and emergencies.

In 2024, the Nordic Council adopted recommendations to update the Helsinki Treaty to include defence and security policy and climate policy, and to strengthen the participation of the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland in Nordic cooperation. Nordic governments subsequently agreed to initiate a process to update the treaty and established a review commission in 2026.

Nordic-Baltic cooperation

In recent years, Nordic countries have increasingly cooperated with other neighbouring countries and international bodies. This includes linkages between the Nordic Council and the Baltic Assembly, which brings together parliamentarians from the Baltic countries, and coordination among leaders of the Nordic and Baltic countries (the NB8).

The NB8 leaders have issued several statements in support of Ukraine, and joint statements with other partners, including the UK, on regional security.