New guidelines for cooperation between the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Baltic States

New guidelines for cooperation between the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Baltic States were approved at the Nordic Council's 65th session in Oslo at the end of October. The current guidelines for cooperation between the two regions are due to expire at the end of the year.

Unlike previously, the Nordic Council of Ministers decided in its cooperation with its partner authorities in the Baltic States not to establish a timeframe or priority areas for the new directions, since cooperation is required in all fields in which the eight countries have shared interests.

"Nevertheless, there are still two areas we will be focussing on," explained Manu Sareen, the Danish minister for equality and the church who is also the country's minister overseeing Nordic cooperation. "One is cross-border issues like human trafficking and organised crime, but also environmental issues. The other is shoring up economic and social development."