Nordic cooperation and an open European Research Area: lessons for international cooperation in Science and Technology

Nordic cooperation in R&D is part of a broader, long standing cooperation in the Nordic area. This area consists of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Finland, as well as the autonomous regions the Faroes Greenland and Aaland. The institutional set-up goes back to 1952 with the establishment of the Nordic Council, 87 elected members of the member countries' respective parliaments. In 1971, the Nordic Council of Ministers was set up, serving as the main institution for inter-governmental cooperation. Similar to the EU set-up, this council consists of several councils of ministers related to specific policy areas. The Nordic Council represents a broad political and institutional cooperation, including on the administrative level across sectors such as energy and labour market integration.