Berth Sundström, Põhjamaade Ministrite Nõukogu Eesti esinduse direktorSellistel poliitiliselt ja majanduslikult keerulistel aegadel, nagu praegu valitseb Euroopa Liidus, tuleb Läänemere piirkonnas enam vaadata üksteise poole, julgeda seada prioriteete ning paremini ära kasutada võimalusi, mis peituvad teaduses ja erinevates rahastamisskeemides. Seda toonitas Berth Sundström, Põhjamaade Ministrite Nõukogu Eesti esinduse direktor oma kõnes Tallinna Ülikooli korraldatud konverentsil Euroopa Liidu Läänemere strateegia elluviimisest.

Sundström tõi näiteks Põhjamaade Investeerimispanga pakutavad laenuvõimalused, mida ei ole täies mahus ära kasutatud. Samuti võiksid Läänemere äärsed riigid enam hinnata Põhjamaade Keskkonnainvesteeringute Korporatsiooni pakutavat.

Lisaks tasuks kaaluda, kuidas Põhja- ja Baltimaad saaksid tihedamat teaduskoostööd teha, sest just teadlaste, ettevõtjate ja avaliku sektori koostöös on võimalik praegustele väljakutsetele kestlikud lahendused leida. Sundström tõi siinkohal näiteks Põhjamaade Innovatsiooni, Põhjamaade Tippteaduse Algatuse ja Nordforski teaduskoostöö. Terve Berth Sundströmi ettekandega on võimalik tutvuda siin.

Meelis Pai, the Director of the Estonian Puppet Theatre and Helena Fríðheim from the Faroese Islands. Photo: Estonian Puppet TheatreCooperation between the Estonian Puppet Theatre and the Faroe Islands will see the creation early this year of the Danish dependency's own puppet theatre, whose first production, 'The Kingdom of Babylon', will premiere in March. The founding of the Faroese theatre forms part of the Estonian theatre's initiative to establish NEENPAC – the Northern and Eastern European Network of Puppet Arts. Support for the activity was granted from the long-term cooperation module of the Nordic and Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture.

'The Kingdom of Babylon', which is based on Faroese folk tales, was written and is being produced by islander Helena Fríðheim. Its puppets and models are being created by Anni Jõeaas from the Estonian Puppet Theatre.

• students of puppet art from the University of Oslo in Norway will be in Tallinn from 18-22 March to find out more about the Estonian Puppet Museum, watch performances and take part in puppet-making workshops;
• a project entitled 'Dancing on the Ringmur' will be completed in spring in cooperation with the Gotland Länsteatern theatre, with rehearsals taking place in Sweden and Estonia and performances being given in Visby on Gotland and as part of the TREFF Festival in Tallinn;
• the extremely powerful Slovenian Puppet Theatre production 'Love Dolls' will be staged as part of the TREFF Festival in Tallinn from 24-27 May; and
• a general meeting of members of the network will be held during the TREFF Festival in Tallinn at which reviews will be presented and future plans made.

What do people need to take into account when applying for support from the Nordic countries? Viivika Orula, an acknowledged advocate of local life in Pärnu as well as a conference organiser and entrepreneur, shares her experience gained over the years.

How many times have you applied for Nordic support, and what were the projects?

I was granted support in 2007 to run the Pärnu international cultural tourism conference, and in 2011, after submitting my application in the final round, to run Pärnu's MONOMAFFIA international theatre festival in 2012.

The MONOMAFFIA application I lodged last spring got a 'no'. Another of the applications I had rejected was for an open studios project in 2010.

Photo: Karin Beate Nøsterud/norden.org2011 was an amazingly successful year for the people of Estonia, with the total amount of support granted via Nordic Culture Point programmes amounting to a record €242,796. Compared to previous years, the number of recipients of travel support doubled: 161 such grants were awarded during the year, 31 of them to professionals in the field of culture.

Visited most frequently, as might be expected, was Finland, although Denmark and Sweden also proved popular destinations. The same trend could be seen in reverse among Nordic applicants, with many Finns, Danes, Swedes and Norwegians keen to visit Estonia.

A total of 8 long-term projects received financing, 4 of which emanated from Estonia – including the Estonian Puppet Theatre's 'Different Cultures – One Language' Northern and Eastern European Network of Puppet Arts. Other Estonian partners featured in 11 of the 24 short-term projects financed in the Nordic countries and Baltic States.

Mr. Aleksi Härkönen, Finnish ambassador to Estonia at the opening of the conference in Tartu that took place during the green growth festival Rohevik. Photo: norden.eeThis year, discussions within the Nordic Council of Ministers have been led by Finland; in 2012 Norway will take up the presidency. Finnish ambassador to Estonia Aleksi Härkönen says that one of the key points of debate throughout 2011 has been climate change and its effects.

What have been the key themes and greatest achievements for Finland during its presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2011?

Drawing attention to climate change, definitely. It was to do with this that saw Nordic Design Month, Nordic Look held in Tallinn, with its pop-up exhibition sale, where selected designers showed how to make beautiful, ethical and sustainable fashion using recycled materials and the like. The Nordic Look events and seminars were really popular. The Rohevik environmental, green growth festival received a lot of positive feedback, too, and one of the people who came to Estonia as part of it was Finland's environment minister Ville Niinistö, who opened the 'Smart energy and green transport' seminar in the Riigikogu.