Nordic Council
The Nordic Council is a forum of the Nordic countries. The parliaments of the States as the autonomous regions send representatives to the Council, there to safeguard the interests of their nation and are elected annually. The Council in 1952 by Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden was founded. Since then, annual meetings will be held. Finland joined the Council in 1955. The work is coordinated in five technical committees.
History and tasks
In 1962, the legal bases have been mentioned in the contract about the cooperation between Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, also Treaty of Helsinki, resigned.
The tasks of the Nordic Council consist in the coordination and development of non-binding recommendations for the international relations of member countries. Governments are the Nordic Council reportable.
The bodies of the Nordic Council, the General Assembly, consisting of all members of the Council; the Bureau consisting of a President (the presidency alternates between the Nordic countries ) and laid down in the Rules of Procedure of the Nordic Council Number of members; as well as the standing committees.
Since 1971 there is also the Nordic Council of Ministers, the cooperation between the five countries and three autonomous territories ( Faroe Islands and Greenland belong to Denmark and the Ålandarchipel one of Finland) supported at government level. Both institutions have a joint secretariat in Copenhagen.
As part of its cultural work of the Nordic Council commends four prestigious awards from:
- Literature Prize of the Nordic Council
- Music Prize of the Nordic Council
- Nature and Environment Prize of the Nordic Council
- The Nordic Council Film Prize
Members
The five countries with the three autonomous regions are:
The autonomous regions were given the opportunity of a largely equal membership in the Nordic Council with the Ålandsdokument of 2007.