Boosting competition and contributing to innovation will see Baltic region blossom in Europe

The Nordic countries and the Baltic States must work together to sharpen their competitive edge and contribute to innovation – only by doing so will the Baltic region emerge as a winner in a globalising world, write Nordic Council of Ministers Secretary-General Halldór Ásgrímsson and Baltic Development Forum Chairman Uffe Ellemann-Jensen in a joint article in the Hufvudstadsbladet newspaper. Stronger ties would also help to ease the consequences of the financial crisis.

Together, the Nordic countries and the Baltic States form the ninth biggest economic space in the world, Ásgrímsson and Ellemann-Jensen write. The history of this economic space has not been simple, but highly fragmented. And right now the nations in the region and their political leaders are faced with a choice: whether to strive for more effective cooperation or go it alone and fight their own corners. The Nordic countries are clearly in favour of working together, and this is the end everyone needs to work towards, the former ministers feel.