Nordic prime ministers: Standing together is more important than ever before
The current refugee crisis was the primary topic of the prime ministers’ meeting in which standing together and the strong Nordic traditions of joining forces to provide humanitarian assistance were highlighted by all the Nordic government leaders at the subsequent press conference.
“We are following all the rules currently in force as part of European co-operation, and none of us have anything to criticise each other for. We agree that the refugee crisis must be resolved by way of a common European effort,” explained Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.
The prime ministers also agreed on the need for a sending a strong signal to reach an ambitious climate agreement at COP21 in Paris. The other countries’ heads of government thanked Denmark for taking the lead in efforts to support the freedom of movement of people and businesses across Nordic borders.
“We are following all the rules currently in force as part of European co-operation, and none of us have anything to criticise each other for. We agree that the refugee crisis must be resolved by way of a common European effort.”Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers, Dagfinn Høybråten, also met the prime ministers to speak about joint Nordic efforts on Green Growth and Sustainable Nordic Welfare.
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“These are two of the most extensive and ambitious initiatives for many years. I was pleased to be able to tell the prime ministers about our successes, including opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and sharing Nordic health records, which may help to prevent lifestyle diseases,” explained Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers Dagfinn Høybråten following the meeting.
On behalf of his colleagues, Lars Løkke Rasmussen expressed the support and backing of the heads of government for the extensive modernisation of the Nordic Council of Ministers.
- President of the Nordic Council Höskuldur Þórhallsson also met the prime ministers to speak about the summit between them and the Nordic Council in Reykjavik on 27 and 28 October in conjunction with the Nordic Council Session.
