Next year Finland to focus on climate change

In January 2011 Finland takes over the chairmanship of the Nordic Council of Ministers from Denmark and will target climate change – combating and adapting to it – according to the statement of the Finnish Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi at the summit meeting in Reykjavik.

The Nordic countries insist that climate issues should be taken into account when making economic and political decisions. In addition, while the emission of exhaust gases to the atmosphere should be reduced in the Nordic region as well as on an international scale, general living conditions require continuous improvement.

Research and young people

Apart from climate issues, during its chairmanship Finland will focus on implementing the action plan for the globalisation of the Nordic region and introducing grassroots-level cooperation between the Nordic countries.

Finland endeavours to realise the globalisation effort by means of the Top Level Research Initiative, the biggest ever Nordic investment in research and innovation, which focuses on climate, energy and the environment. Finland underlines that researches and scientists are able to achieve top-level results only when they are provided with the best tools.

The Finnish sentiment is that more active involvement of young people is of critical importance in order to ensure continuous cooperation between the Nordic countries. The latter would strengthen their Nordic identity as well as their knowledge of Nordic languages. Nordic cooperation will be brought closer to the public by continuous interventions to remove barriers to mobility.