Tal
Jokkmokk Winter Conference 6 februari 2008

"Roadmap for new development and co-operation in the North"

Tal av Johan Tiedemann, statssekreterare för nordiska frågor.

Det talade ordet gäller.

Thank you for inviting me to come here today!

It feels good to se that so many scientists, diplomats, experts, but not least students and young people committed to the development of the northerly parts of the world.

I am very pleased to be here to talk about the development of Nordic cooperation, and about what we can expect in the future, in twenty years time.

Let me begin by briefly introducing myself and describing how we work on Nordic issues in the Swedish government. My name is Johan Tiedemann and I am State Secretary responsible for Nordic cooperation. I work for Minister for Social Security Cristina Husmark-Perhsson. Cristina is responsible for Nordic cooperation in the Government.

Nordic cooperation is thus dealt with by a minister other than the Minister for Foreign Affairs. This is the way it is organised in the other Nordic countries too. This is partly due to the fact that the Nordic cooperation agenda is extensive and the Minister for Foreign Affairs' agenda already very full, and partly so as to indicate that the function of the Nordic Council of Ministers is largely to cooperate on traditional domestic issues.

Official cooperation between the Nordic countries is conducted at two levels.

Members of Parliament cooperate in the Nordic Council.

Governments cooperate in the Nordic Council of Ministers.

If we want to look into the future and see what Nordic cooperation will be like in twenty years time, we can begin by looking at what has happened in the last twenty years.

Europe was divided into two parts: western and eastern. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania belonged to the Soviet Union. Today the Soviet Union no longer exists and the three Baltic countries are free states.

The EU did not exist. Denmark was the only country among the Nordic states to belong to what was called the European Community.

More than twenty years ago, the climate debate was about global freezing.

Roughly at the same time as the Nordic Council of Ministers was established in 1971, there were about 1 000 mobile phones in Sweden. Development was rapid and twenty years ago, a mobile telephone weighed around 25 kg, including the battery. No one had yet heard about text messaging twenty years ago, and several more years passed before the first text message was sent in 1993.

Twenty years ago, some 20 000 computers were linked to the network. And by the way, there was one minister who, as late as 1996 commented on the growth of the Internet by saying that it was just a fad!

And don't forget that twenty years ago, the latest technical innovation was starting to spread - the CD record. Even then, it was not until 1991 that it was designated Christmas present of the year in Sweden. I was one of those who clung on the longest to my vinyl LPs.

Nor, at that time, had the microwave made itself felt. In other words, it was no simple matter to thaw out bread. It was simpler to invent a machine to provide warm bread in the morning, and that was why it was believed that the baking machine would be a success. As a result, it was made Christmas present of the year in 1988 here in Sweden.

Last year I was in Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo for five days. Twenty years ago, a trip like that was incredibly time-consuming and complicated, compared with today.

Development has made enormous strides in the past twenty years. Who could have foreseen that the iron curtain would fall and that the satellite states in Eastern Europe would join the EU and NATO? Who would have thought then that the climate debate would be about global warming? Who would have thought that we would communicate via mobile phones and email?

If, at a conference twenty years ago, I had given these examples of where we would be at today, somebody would have certainly recommended that I find another career than looking into the future.

In other words, one should be cautious when making statements about the future.

However, we are fairly sure that we are facing new future challenges that demand urgent solutions. We know that there will be great challenges and therefore I think that every available tool must be used to in order to meet them.

The Nordic council of Ministers is one of the organisations that we can use for this purpose.

In 2008 Sweden will be using the Swedish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers this year to meet common Nordic challenges.

Globalisation is not a new phenomenon. But it is a development in society that we cannot sit quietly and wait for, but where we must take forceful action to meet the competition from other countries.

Here, it is important that we use our previous experience as a starting point. We must not forget that it is trade and an openness for thoughts and ideas that form the basis for the prosperity that we have created in the Nordic countries. To put it in a nutshell, our prosperity has been created as a result of globalisation, and not despite this process.

Economic development in the tiger economies of Asia and other countries has not led to a deterioration in our own situation. On the contrary, it has led to new markets and more opportunities for the Nordic countries. The Nordic countries are in a good position to succeed in a world of greater competition by being able to continue to exploit the areas in which we are strong.

The other major contemporary challenge is the threat to our environment.

The Nordic countries are well to the fore with regard to drawing attention and finding solutions to various environmental problems. During its Presidency, Sweden will focus on environmental and climate issues and on measures that we can take in a Nordic context to bring about positive development, such as using cooperation to achieve the EU climate targets. Sweden wants to take action for joint Nordic preparations and initiatives to achieve an international climate agreement in Copenhagen in 2009. The Nordic countries are in a good position to play an active role in preparing for future international climate commitments after 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol expires.

During Sweden's Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2008, several activities will be arranged to focus on globalisation and environment and that have a direct bearing on Northern Europe.

A globalisation forum will be held in April at Riksgränsen. Representatives of the Nordic countries' governments, companies, universities, research sectors and associations will be invited to a summit meeting with prime ministers and the Secretary-General of the Nordic Council of Ministers to discuss the challenges of globalisation for the Nordic countries.

The Arctic will be in focus with a new Arctic cooperation programme for the period 2009-2012. Based on Nordic cooperation, we will be in a good position to highlight Arctic issues more clearly in forums like the EU, for example. We are planning to organise a conference on arctic issues in Greenland, based on EU and other perspectives.

We also intend to organise a meeting between institutions supporting polar research in the Nordic countries in order to deepen Nordic collaboration after the International Polar Year.

Young people have unique knowledge, experience and values. Young people's resources must be given a chance to develop and be made use of in our society.

We have a Nordic Committee for Children and Young Adults (NORDBUK) which is a forum for youth cooperation. Its purpose is to strengthen the participation of children and young people in cultural, political and social activities. It is also important to give young people greater opportunities to strengthen the Nordic profile in international contexts. To make this possible, NORDBUK allocates several million kronor a year to project and organisation support for children and young people, via the Danish agency Cirius.

Sami cooperation is an important aspect of Nordic cooperation. To strengthen and develop this cooperation, we are giving support to the Sami Council, the Samiskt konstnärsråd (Sami Arts Council), which will receive some DK 4.3 million in 2008, and to the Nordisk Samisk Institut, which will receive some DK 1.9 million this year. The objective of the Nordisk Samisk Institut is to strengthen Sami languages, culture and community life through research and education. This year, efforts to increase the focus on the situation of the Sami in north-western Russia will continue.

The challenges may vary, but there is a need for Nordic cooperation. It is true that we have the EU as a strong political centre, and that there are several other international forums for meeting global challenges.

But it is also true that there is a need for regional cooperation in the Nordic countries.

We have a common history. We understand each other and our cultures are very similar. Our societies are not dramatically different and in many respects we have chosen similar welfare solutions.

Both politically and with regard to the business and cultural sectors, Nordic cooperation is characterised by a positive social climate where we collaborate, establish contacts and conduct lively cross-border exchange.

The fact that we can speak in our own languages and that in many respects we share historical and political experiences makes it quite easy for us to join forces and cooperate. This is an advantage that we should absolutely exploit and build the future upon.

There are differing opinions on what we should do to protect the environment and strengthen our countries' competitiveness. But there is also widespread consensus that we, the Nordic countries together, can do more than individual countries on their own.

But Nordic cooperation is based in many respects on an idealistic commitment. The good climate for cooperation in the Nordic countries is largely a result of individual initiatives between citizens. One example of this is the Norden Association which plays a vital role in preserving and developing the values of the Nordic community. The Norden Association is a concrete example of how people have rallied around a common idea, which has then been formalised politically via the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Nordic cooperation is based on issues that affect the daily lives of citizens and in many respects depends on voluntary commitment.

This means that Nordic cooperation is based on two pillars: informal cooperation conducted via voluntary commitment and formalised cooperation conducted via exchange between parliaments, governments and agencies.

This very conference is a good example of this Nordic spirit of broad informal and formal commitment to strengthen and enhance cooperation.

And it is interesting to note that Nordic cooperation attracts attention in other parts of the world. I myself have been to China and Japan together with my Nordic colleagues to talk about what we are doing in the Nordic countries to meet the challenges of globalisation.

I often compare the Nordic countries with a family. We may squabble domestically as families do, but we know at the same time that we always have each other.

This comparison also explains why Nordic cooperation is questioned, now that we have the EU and other international forums.

It is not always within the family that you have the most rewarding or exciting relations. Quite simply, we take each other for granted.

In the same way, I believe that the Nordic countries will always seek contacts elsewhere. You can always ultimately go back to your family. But for this to work, we have to continually maintain and develop our Nordic relations.

And here, I believe, lies a considerable task for you, to take up and pass the baton on to others. This is why I am extremely pleased to see you all gathered here today to secure tomorrow's cooperation.

And how do I believe that tomorrow's Nordic countries will develop, in some twenty years, when you have taken over?

Aldous Huxley's "Brave new world" or George Orwells "1984" are examples of predictions about the future. Doomsday prophets are often needed to get people's attention.

But the fact is that since the dawn of mankind we have improved our situation. Wars, disease and famine are temporary setbacks, from a historical perspective.

Mankind demonstrates a unique ability to overcome the problems obstructing its development through ingenuity and the ability to adapt.

Based on this historical experience, I will make the following three predictions for the situation of the Nordic countries in twenty years time.

My first prediction is that Nordic cooperation will still be here in twenty years time. Simply because there will be future challenges that will call for cooperation.

My second prediction is that prosperity will have increased as a result of our succeeding in making use of globalisation to create more companies and jobs, thanks to economic growth outside the Nordic region.

My third prediction is that in twenty years time, we will have managed to overcome the threats against our environment by changing our lifestyles and using environmentally-friendly technology.

Thank you for your attention.