Prime Minister Orpo presents Finland’s Presidency programme to the Nordic Council

Prime Minister Orpo presents Finland's Presidency programme to the Nordic Council

At the Nordic Council Session on Tuesday 29 October in Reykjavik, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo presented the programme for Finland and Åland's Council Presidency in 2025. Prime Minister Orpo also had a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as a meeting with the Nordic prime ministers and the representative of the autonomous region of Åland.

Finland will hold the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2025 together with the Government of Åland. The name of Finland's Presidency programme is 'A strong and united Nordic Region'.

"In today's global situation, Nordic cooperation is more important than ever before. Together we are stronger. Together we are more competitive. Together we can respond more effectively to global challenges," said Prime Minister Orpo.

"Finland has long emphasised the importance of comprehensive security and cooperation on security of supply and preparedness. Given the changes in our security environment, we want to strengthen the Nordic countries' resilience and promote wide-ranging, comprehensive preparedness for a variety of civilian crises and hybrid threats," Prime Minister Orpo said.

Finland's Presidency will also focus on children and young people. Finland wants to draw attention to realising the rights of children and young people and ensuring their wellbeing. Another key theme of the Presidency is promoting Nordic competitiveness.

On Tuesday, the Nordic Council held an extraordinary session where President of Ukraine Zelenskyy delivered a speech. President Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Orpo met for bilateral talks after the session.

"We had a good discussion in the spirit of mutual trust. It was important to hear about the situation in Ukraine from him directly," said Prime Minister Orpo.

In conjunction with the Session, the Nordic prime ministers and the heads of government of the autonomous regions held their traditional meeting, which was attended by Premier of Åland Katrin Sjögren. The meeting focused on migration and preventing cross-border crime.

The Nordic Council of Ministers is the official body for intergovernmental cooperation in the Nordic region. It seeks Nordic solutions wherever and whenever the countries can achieve more together than by working on their own.

The Nordic Council is the official body for Nordic interparliamentary cooperation. Established in 1952, it has 87 members from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland, as well as from Åland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

Inquiries: Marja Koskela, Diplomatic Adviser to the Prime Minister, tel. +358 295 160 978, Anne Sjöholm, Head of Communications for EU and International Affairs, tel. +358 40 537 0733, Prime Minister's Office