The Nordic Council of Ministers is the official body for Nordic inter-governmental co-operation, which involves Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and autonomous areas of the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland. It seeks Nordic solutions wherever and whenever the countries can achieve more together than by working on their own.

The organization consists of several ministerial councils, which meet regularly. Daily work is carried out by the Secretariat in Copenhagen. The Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers rotates between the five Nordic countries and is held for a period of one year.

The Nordic Council of Ministers has enjoyed wide-ranging and close co-operation with Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia since the early 1990s. The Nordic Council of Ministers opened offices in the capital cities of all three Baltic states as early as 1991 as part of Nordic endeavours to support Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in the struggle to reassert their independence.

After a decade of aid, the time was ripe for partnership and co-operation on equal terms, which has been the main priority for the Nordic Council of Ministers’ work with the three Baltic republics ever since.

The Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania is running the following activities:

• Acts as a liaison between the Nordic ministerial councils and the secretariat in Copenhagen on the one hand, and with Lithuanian ministries and other official bodies on the other.
• Provides information about the Nordic countries, Nordic institutions and Nordic cooperation.
• Promotes Nordic culture in Lithuania and encourages Nordic-Lithuanian cultural cooperation.
• Administers several Nordic Council of Ministers exchange programmes and other projects in Lithuania.
• Promotes the development of democracy and civil society in Belarus.

Vision 2030

The Nordic region must become the world’s most sustainable and integrated region by the year 2030: in August 2019, the Nordic prime ministers agreed that this would be the headline for Nordic co-operation in the coming years. The co-operation in the Nordic Council of Ministers must serve this purpose.

To achieve our vision, we will prioritise:

• A green Nordic Region – together, we will promote a green transition of our societies and work towards carbon neutrality and a sustainable circular and bio-based economy.
• A competitive Nordic Region – together, we will promote green growth in the Nordic Region based on knowledge, innovation, mobility and digital integration.
• A socially sustainable Nordic Region – together, we will promote an inclusive, equal and interconnected region with shared values and strengthened cultural exchange and welfare.

The vision and strategic priorities form the basis for more information about and profiling of Nordic co-operation – both at home and globally.

Mainstreaming

Nordic Council of Ministers policy for mainstreaming sustainable development, gender equality, and a child rights and youth perspective  applies to everyone working within or on behalf of the Nordic Council of Ministers.