Nordic Council of Ministers
Intergovernmental forum of the Nordic countries
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Nordic Council of Ministers is an intergovernmental forum established after the Helsinki Treaty.[1] The purpose of the Nordic Council of Ministers is to complement the Nordic Council and promote Nordic cooperation.
Copenhagen
Nordic Council of Ministers
| |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
 Member states shown in dark blue; and regions of member states shown in light blue. | |
| Headquarter | Copenhagen |
| Official languages | |
| Type | Intergovernmental organisation |
| Membership | |
| Leaders | |
• Secretary-General | Karen Ellemann |
• Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers |  Norway |
| Establishment | |
• Inauguration of the Nordic Council | 12 February 1953 |
| 1 July 1962 | |
• Inauguration of the Nordic Council of Ministers | July 1971 |
| Population | |
• 2018 estimate | 27,210,000 |
| Currency | |
Website norden.org | |
In 2025, the Nordic Council was designated as an 'undesirable organization' in Russia.[2]
Structure
The governments of the Nordic countries each have a Minister for Nordic Cooperation.[3][4] This responsibility often goes to the Minister of Foreign Affairs or another ministerial post that the Nordic country has a special desire for cooperation. These ministers for Nordic Cooperation delegate meetings for other ministers to discuss avenues for cooperation in the ministers’ respective fields, thus the Ministers for Cooperation set up Ministerial Councils. Hence the name, Council of Ministers.
| Short Code: | Nordic Council of ministers for: |
| MR-SAM | Cooperation |
| MR-A | Labour |
| MR-VÆKST | Sustainable Growth |
| MR-FJLS | Fisheries, Aquaculture, Agriculture, Food and Forestry |
| MR-JÄM | Gender Equality |
| MR-K | Culture |
| MR-LAG | Legislative Affairs |
| MR-MK | Environment and Climate |
| MR-S | Health and Social Affairs |
| MR-U | Education and Research |
| MR-FINANS | Finance |
| MR-DIGITAL | Digitalisation 2017-2020 |
Cooperation with other international organisations
The Council and the Council of Ministers are involved in various forms of cooperation with neighbouring areas, amongst them being the Baltic Assembly and the Benelux, as well as Russia and Schleswig-Holstein.[5] The Council of Ministers has offices in the following countries:
 Estonia |
|
 Latvia |
Riga[7] |
 Lithuania |
Vilnius[8] |
Closed offices[9]
 Russia |
|
Programmes
Nordic Council of Ministers's educational programme for lifelong learning is "Nordplus". The main objective of the programme is to strengthen and develop Nordic educational cooperation.[10]