This week, King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Silvia of Sweden hosted a lunch for the Nordic prime ministers, presidents and other Nordic politicians in connection with the Nordic Council session in Sweden. The lunch was held at the Royal Palace in Stockholm.
This year, the Nordic Council’s 71st session was held in Sweden. The agenda included discussions on climate, sustainability and young people’s commitment. A significant part of the Nordic Council’s activities is to strengthen Nordic co-operation in culture. Therefore, during the meeting in Stockholm, the Council gave its political support to the proposal that the Nordic Region as one unit should be the organizer of the Women’s World Cup in 2027.
King Carl Gustav is closely related to both the Danish and Norwegian monarchs. During the lunch, the king gave a speech in which he emphasized the importance of Nordic co-operation.
His Majesty said in his speech: “The Queen and I are very excited about the opportunity to receive you when you now gather in Stockholm for the Nordic Council session. You who are here today are all prominent representatives of your countries and their parliaments. However, at the same time, you represent something even greater: the Nordic community and Nordic cooperation.”
This year, climate was much discussed. King Carl Gustav himself is a passionate environmental campaigner. This was made clear in the king’s speech. The king said: “The environmental issues are very close to me personally, and have been concern about this ever since the UN held its first environmental conference here in Stockholm in 1972. A collaboration between the Nordic Council of Ministers participates in and finances great projects.”
The Nordic Council was formed in 1952 and consists of members from the parliaments of the Nordic countries: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland have a total of 20 members, but the local parliaments in the Danish autonomous regions of the Faroe Islands and Greenland and the Finnish autonomous region of Åland each elect two representatives
In 1971, the Nordic Council of Ministers was formed. This is the government’s co-operative body for the Nordic countries. Since 2013 there has also been speculation about Scotland joining the Nordic Council as politicians there continue to debate the issues surrounding independence.
