Norrænt samstarf og evrópska samrunaferlið

Siv Friðleifsdóttir samstarfsráðherra Norðurlanda
Ræða á ráðstefnu Norrænu ráðherranefndarinnar um norrænt samstarf og evrópska samrunaferlið, Prag, 14. október 1999

Opening address by Siv Friðleifsdóttir
Minister for the Environment
in the Government of Iceland
at the opening of the
Nordic Council of Ministers' seminar
on Nordic Co-operation and European Integration

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I wish you a warm welcome to this seminar and thank you for joining us on this occasion, which we intend to use to discuss Nordic co-operation and European integration, as well as to present you with the Nordic nations' experience of regional co-operation which takes place alongside and in full accordance with the European Union, and to hear your views.

As an Icelander it is a particular pleasure for me to be able to visit the Czech Republic. We Icelanders, living on an island so far from the continent, hold in high regard your country and your beautiful capital of Prague, in the heart of Europe, with their deep-rooted culture and long traditions of music and literature. Even those of us who have not visited your country have read or heard of the Good Soldier Svejk and admire his ironic sense of humour and parodies of war. And I can say with certainty that we Icelanders have warm feelings towards the President of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel, who has often visited Iceland and is a close friend of Iceland's former president Mrs. Vigdís Finnbogadóttir and our Prime Minister Davíð Oddsson. So I bring you very warm greetings from Iceland.

This is the second seminar held in Prague by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The first was held five years ago, on a similar theme to this seminar we are at today. However, the situation is completely different now. At the time of the first seminar, Denmark was the only Nordic member of the European Union and referendums on membership were pending in Finland, Norway and Sweden. I can say now what no one stated outright then, that the future of Nordic co-operation, at least that part of it which takes place within the Nordic Council of Ministers, was uncertain at that time. Many people felt that there would be no room for such co-operation when three or four of the Nordic nations had joined the European Union. Others considered that co-operation between Nordic nations, some of which were members of the EU and others outside it, would breed suspicion towards the Nordic countries among other EU states. It was claimed that they could not accept such regional co-operation, not only because it would represent the formation of a bloc, but also because it could grant the Nordic non-EU members, which were only members of the EEA, undue influence and insight into the Community's issues. But this was far from the case. After national referendums, Finland and Sweden joined the EU whereas Norway did not, so that three of the Nordic nations are now members. The other two, Iceland and Norway, are outside the EU, although they are members of the EEA. Following this outcome, systematic measures were taken, aimed at making the formal co-operation within the Nordic Council of Ministers into an effective forum. For internal co-operation among the five nations, for co-operation with neighbouring regions in the Baltic and Northwest Russia, and for Nordic co-operation and political dialogue on European issues. A study was made which revealed beyond all doubt that there were no obligations which prevented this co-operation from continuing alongside the European co-operation. I do not intend to go into detail about all the changes that have taken place in Nordic co-operation in these past few years, but will cover a few of the aspects that are on today's agenda and relate to the European Union and European integration.

Nordic co-operation is essentially co-operation between neighbouring countries which have unusually good grounds for working together. Their languages and culture have common roots, they have always enjoyed close relations, and they have been at peace with each other for almost two centuries, despite the two World Wars, which of course left their mark as they did elsewhere in Europe. This co-operation is therefore built on a broad national foundation. It is even unique in that every year a dialogue takes place at Nordic Council meetings between members of the parliaments of member states, and the government ministers in the five countries.

Recent developments in Europe have been favourable to this and other regional co-operation. The ongoing expansion of the Union will make regional co-operation an increasingly normal aspect of the face of Europe, and the concept of a "Europe of Regions" has begun to evolve. This trend may make the Nordic countries' experience of regional co-operation interesting for the Czech Republic as one of the Visegrad states. Nordic co-operation in its present form has brought great benefits to the nations involved in it. In many areas the Nordic countries take the same basic standpoint, for example on environmental issues, social issues, labour issues, equal rights, decentralization and transparency of government, to name a few important ones. The Nordic countries also benefit from the common Nordic labour market and from the Nordic passport union, as well as the fact that Nordic legislation is harmonized in many areas. It is important for the Nordic countries to take advantage of these favourable conditions in order to help to put Nordic industries in a leading international role. And the fact is that Nordic co-operation is flourishing on the business front today, with steadily increasing trade, investment and mergers between Nordic companies. This is happening in banking, mass media, the energy sector, telecommunications and other fields. It is important to promote this trend and dismantle the obstacles to trade that hinder it. Nordic industry needs this in the globalisation that lies ahead.

But obviously there are other reasons too for the flourishing Nordicism or Nordic awareness among our businesses. Both European integration and the almost universal process of globalisation are at work there too. Globalisation is far from over and we have no impact upon this process. The important point is to take advantage of it as a positive force for our economies. But globalisation also imposes obligations upon us – namely to safeguard our culture and languages even better than ever. Nordic co-operation is crucial in this respect. Nations with deep-rooted cultures, which sense that they belong to a larger group with a common heritage, are better equipped than others to withstand strong external cultural influences, without losing their identity and language.

As I mentioned earlier, the Nordic nations have chosen different ways in their European co-operation. Iceland and Norway, which did not join the European Union when Sweden and Finland did, are members of the EEA, which entails extensive participation in European co-operation. We have benefited from co-operation within the EEA and we have been through the bulk of the adaptation process actually required for membership of the EU. As far as Iceland is concerned, an application for membership is not on the agenda. However, there are issues in the pipelines which could call upon Iceland to redefine its position. EMU is one of them. At present, when neither Sweden, Denmark nor Britain is a member of EMU, the monetary union does not cause us any problems in its own right. The picture could change if these countries join, because it would then mean that all Iceland's main trading partners were members of the monetary union. This could lead to greater demands from the business community for a review of Iceland's current position.

Another issue which causes concern to Iceland and Norway after the EU Summit in Cologne is the incorporation of the Western European Union into the EU structure. Iceland and Norway, which are both members of NATO, are associate members of the Western European Union and have a certain amount of influence as a result. These points, together with the changes that were made to the Schengen framework after the EU Summit in Amsterdam, show how the ongoing process within the EU has a wide impact on all the countries of Europe.

The EEA Agreement grants member states a formal process for influencing EU decision-making. This influence is confined to the first stages of the decision-making process, and the possibility of influence is restricted when issues reach the Council and the European parliament. Considerable changes are sometimes made at the final stages of the EU decision-making process which have an important bearing on countries such as Iceland and Norway. Thus it is vital for these countries to be closely involved in co-operation at the EEA level, but they should also pay no less attention to regional co-operation and bilateral co-operation, in order to promote their viewpoints indirectly all the way until final decisions are reached within the EU.

The situation today is that no nation in the world can isolate itself, and the distinctions between the national, regional, European and global are becoming increasingly vague and fluid. In a remarkably short period of time, the Czech Republic has adapted very effectively to this reality. All the Nordic countries welcome this and wish the Czechs success in their membership negotiations with the EU. The Nordic countries are all small countries which have a deep understanding and sympathy towards the Czech Republic.

On this note I repeat how pleased I am to be with you here today and I look forward to listening to the discussions ahead.