Available online: https://pub.norden.org/nord2021-020/ The Nordic Council of Ministers is the world’s oldest community of its kind. In the Council, the Nordic countries co-operate in all kinds of areas from the climate and the environment to education, workplaces, and children and young people. The Nordic region contains three areas, five countries and 27 million people. When we work together in the region, we are stronger and can make a difference for the whole world. In this folder you can read more about the Nordic Council of Ministers.

The Nordic Council was formed in 1952 to coordinate cooperation between the parliaments and governments of Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Finland joined in 1955. When the Nordic Council of Ministers was formed in 1971, the Nordic Council was transformed into a purely interparliamentary body. The Council consists of 87 MPs elected by the national parliaments. The delegations from the Faroe Islands and Greenland form part of the Danish delegation. The delegation from Åland forms part of the Finnish delegation. The Council launches initiatives of its own, acts in an advisory capacity, acts in a supervisory capacity and plays a proactive role in official Nordic co-operation. The Nordic Council bodies consist of the Plenary, Presidium and committees.

The Nordic Region 2030: The five Nordic countries have formed a federal political entity - the United Nordic Federation. The new federation, with its joint constitution, joint government and population of 25 million, is a brand-new and major player on the European stage - well it would be if the countries have the courage to make it happen. The controversial historian Gunnar Wetterberg provides objective and detailed arguments for a new Nordic federation. A real federation, with responsibility for foreign and defence policy, the economic framework and all of the key legislative areas, from immigration to social policy. Last year, Wetterberg breathed new life into the debate about the rebirth of the Kalmar Union. The emotional, hard-hitting debate resonated all the way to Germany, Spain and Italy. He now presents his vision of the United Nordic Federation in theNordic Council and Nordic Council of Ministers' Yearbook 2010. His highly controversial proposal is expected to reignite the debate in all five of the Nordic countries.