This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Minister welcomes Nordic Council
19/11/2002
The visit of the Nordic Council and Nordic Council of
Ministers to Scotland is an example of the growing
international interest in post-devolution Scotland Deputy
First Minister Jim Wallace said today.
Speaking on the day that a special day long seminar to
discuss a number of issues of common interest between
Scotland and the Nordic countries took place in Edinburgh,
Mr Wallace said:
"I very much welcome the fact that the Nordic Council,
which represents the five Nordic countries and three
autonomous territories, has decided to utilise its main
international meeting in its 50th anniversary year to find
out how devolution is affecting its Scottish
neighbours.
"Since the establishment of the Scottish Parliament the
Executive has been keen to forge mutually beneficial links
with Europe. In May we signed a protocol with Catalonia and
only last week the First Minister signed a cultural and
economic agreement with Tuscany. In the future we hope to
reach agreements with some of the German Laender.
"As MSP for Orkney I am well aware of the strong links
between Scotland and our Scandinavian neighbours. These
links are being strengthened since devolution. Last month I
was part of the delegation of Scottish Ministers that
visited Stockholm for the highly successful Scotland in
Sweden initiative and I am convinced that such initiatives
and the exchange of ideas stimulated by the meeting with
the Nordic Council can only be beneficial to our
countries."
The seminar is taking place following an approach from
the Nordic Council to the Scottish Parliament and Scottish
Executive.
The Nordic Council was formed in 1952 and is the forum
for inter-parliamentary co-operation between the Nordic
countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden
as well as the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands,
Greenland and Aland. Its primary aim is to maintain and
develop co-operation on legislation, culture, transport and
environmental issues but in recent years it has extended
its scope to cover foreign affairs and security.
The Nordic Council of Ministers, which was established
in 1971, is the forum for inter-governmental co-operation
in the Nordic countries.
Some 24 million people live in Norden (the five Nordic
countries and three autonomous territories) and the area
covers 8 time zones and has a population density of 19
inhabitants per square kilometre (in comparison to an EU
average of 116).
The seminar will be attended by a delegation of 25 from
the Nordic countries headed by Mr Inge Lonning, President
of the Nordic Council, and including Ms Siv Fridleifsdottir
Iceland's Minister for the Environment and Mr Svein
Ludvigsen Norway's Minister of Fisheries.
The seminar is open to all MSPs and in addition leading
Scottish academics, civil servants, councillors,
journalists and public sector officials will attend.
The seminar will open at 09.30 with a welcoming address
from Deputy Presiding Officer George Reid and the four main
themes (with timings) are:
* Culture as a bridge for co-operation (09.45)
* Good governance in the 21st century (11.00)
* Sustainable development plans and implementation
(14.30) and
* Visions and future actions (16.00)
The deputy Minister for Environment, Allan Wilson, will
talk on "Biodiversity" at 2.55 and the Deputy First
Minister will give the closing address at 17.10.