The Nordic Action Plan for Children and Young Adults in the Adjacent Areas was launched in 1999 in order to contribute to an improvement of the living conditions of young risk groups in the Baltic states and North-West Russia. More than 400 small and large projects have received funding from the programme since then. The present evaluation of the programme has been carried out by the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (NIBR). The evaluation team recommends a continuation of the programme founded on its achievements in focusing on risk groups, keeping a cross-sectoral approach, involving the policy level in the adjacent area countries, emphasising competence transfer and capacity building, and stimulating an interest in Nordic approaches and models in work with the risk groups. At the same time the evaluators suggest that in the future more emphasis should be put on a further institutionalisation of the programme, it should be used more actively to build partnerships in the region, more attention should be paid to the human resources in the projects, and dissemination activities should be given a more prominent place.

The interest for the Arctic region has been intense in recent years, as demonstrated by intensified political debate on Arctic issues and increased national activity and multilateral cooperation in the region. In this period the European Union has also paid increased attention to the Arctic region, expressed  through  the Commission's Arctic Communication (November 2008) and the Council's Conclusions (December 2009). The Arctic now appears as a recognized feature in EU policies and activities. This paper by Ms. Adele Airoldi, commissioned by the Nordic Council of Ministers,  describes and analyses the principal elements of the EU approach to Arctic issues as it has developed from July 2008 to July 2010, updating the report "The European Union and the Arctic - policies and actions" from 2008 . It reviews EU documents and pronouncements on Arctic issues, explores the development in the main EU policy sectors which impact the Arctic region and positions the EU in the wider Arctic political context through examining EU multilateral cooperation and bilateral relations. It also aims at giving an input to the ongoing co-operation of the Nordic Council of Ministers with the EU on Arctic questions.

The developments in the Arctic are increasingly a subject for political dialogue and policy discussion in global and regional fora and within individual states. There's a need to facilitate coordination of international action to meet the many challenges facing the Arctic region. Cooperation with and within the EU is of great importance for the Arctic, since a range of the existing policies and activities pursued by the EU impact on the Arctic region. The NCM has therefore commissioned this review of the EU's policies and its administrative processes that are related to or affect the development in the Arctic. The aim of the report is to create an overview of existing policies of the EU of importance to the Arctic and to identify possible areas of co-operation. It also constitutes an input to the Nordic Council Ministers' Arctic Conference "Common Concern for the Arctic" that will take place on the 9-10 September in Ilulissat, Greenland.

Denne rapport handler om social tillid i de nordiske samfund. I Norden finder man de højeste niveauer af tillid i verden. Den er til gavn for såvel samfundsøkonomien som for enkeltpersoner og samfundet i sin helhed. Rapporten undersøger, hvordan den sociale tillid er blevet så stor i Norden, og hvilke udfordringer den står over for.

Rapporten handlar om social tillit i de nordiska samhällena. Norden har högst nivåer av social tillit i världen. Detta gynnar såväl samhällsekonomin som individer och samhället i dess helhet. Rapporten diskuterar bakgrunden till att den sociala tilliten blivit så hög i Norden samt vilka utmaningar som den står inför.

This report concerns social trust in the Nordic countries. The Nordic region has the highest levels of social trust in the world. This benefits the economy, individuals and society as a whole. This report discusses the background to why social trust has reached such high levels in the Nordic region, and the present day challenges it is facing.

It is true that we in the Nordic countries are generally happier than people in the rest of the world, but there are also people in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden who describe themselves as struggling or even suffering. This report analyses which factors are the most significant in determining why some people in the Nordic region are happy, while others are struggling or suffering. The study also analyses which groups of people are most often struggling or suffering. Finally, the report discusses the potential consequences for our society.

Nordic companies and organisations are often distinguished by committedemployees and a high degree of creativity. One reason is a specific Nordicleadership style, which sets itself apart through the delegation of power and responsibility to employees and a high degree of consensus seeking, among other things. Nordic leaders also stress the necessity of co-operation. In addition, they play down their authority and often function more as coaches for their employees. It is also important that leaders are able to inspire their employees, and be visionary yet realistic at the same time.

This report describes how various studies on culture, leadership and values characterise the Nordic leadership style. The report also attempts to find factors in Nordic societies that could help explain the leadership style in the Nordic region. Particular attention is given to two of these: the creation of the Nordic welfare state and the tradition of balancing different interests in society, especially within the labour market. The discussion of these factors is also supplemented by examining the role played by the industrial structure.

Nordiska företag och organisationer präglas ofta av engagerade anställda och hög grad av kreativitet. En anledning är en särskild nordisk ledarskapsstil vars kännetecken bland annat är delegering av makt och ansvar till medarbetare samt hög grad av konsensussökande. Den nordiske ledaren betonar också nödvändigheten av samarbete. Han eller hon nedtonar vidare sin auktoritet och fungerar ofta snarast som en slags coach för medarbetarna. Det är också viktigt att ledaren ska inspirera medarbetarna och vara visionär, men samtidigt realistisk.

Denna rapport beskriver hur studier om kultur, ledarskap och värderingar karaktäriserar den nordiska ledarskapsstilen. Rapporten försöker också finna faktorer i de nordiska samhällena som kan bidra till att förklara ledarskapsstilen i Norden. I synnerhet pekas på två faktorer: den nordiska välfärdsstatens utformning samt traditionen av att balansera olika samhällsintressen, inte minst inom arbetslivet. Dessa faktorer kompletteras med att även peka på den nordiska industristrukturens roll.

Nordiska ministerrådet och Nordiska rådet har genomfört en större enkätundersökning om vad invånarna i Norden anser om det nordiska samarbetet: dess grunder, utformning och innehåll.

Undersökningen visar at det nordiska samarbetet har ett brett folkligt stöd. Befolkningen menar at de två viktigaste grunderna för samarbetet er gemensamma värderingar och likartade samhällssystem. Den mest typisk nordiska värderingen upplevs vara yttrandefriheten.

En betydande del av befolkningen anser att möjligheten att använda hela regionenför arbete, studier eller boende är en av de största fördelene med samarbetet. På det mest övergripande planet ses försvars- och säkerhetsfrågor som det viktigaste att samarbeta.

Denna rapport er författad av Nordiska ministerrådets analys- och utredningsenhet. Enhetens rapportserie skal belysa aktuella ämnen som är centrala utifrån et nordiskt perspektiv. Detta er den tredje rapporten i serien. De två första var:

• Tillit – Det nordiska guldet. Analys nr. 01/2017
• Er Norden best i verden? Analys nr. 02/2017

Rapporten genomgår arbetet inom Nordiska ministerrådet med fokus på mobilitet över de nordiska gränserna. Mobilitet definieras som rörelse över gränser i Norden av människor, kapital, varor och tjänster. Sammanställningen bygger på en insamling av material från de olika sektorerna inom ministerrådet. Rapporten innehåller också relevant statistik om mobilitet i Norden.

In April, a Nordic Globalisation Forum will be held in Riksgränsen, Sweden, under the heading A Competitive Nordic Region in A Globalised World. The issue will remain high on the Nordic agenda of the future.Our countries have taken a huge step forward into a world characterised by change. The Adjacent Areas are developing and reforming, the EU is growing and countries like China and India are now major players on the world stage. Acting as one in the EU, the UN and other international organisations makes the most of our joint strengths.It is important that we work together on the issues of today and of the future, that we have clear goals in mind, and that we focus on the areas where we will have the greatest impact on actual outcomes, which is exactly how our Nordic inter-parliamentary and inter-governmental partnerships already function.But what does all this mean for Nordic citizens and companies? What does Nordic co-operation mean for a family that is about to move from one Nordic country to another and wants to transfer its child benefit entitlement? What does it mean for a Belarussian student whose university has been closed down and who has to study in exile? What does it mean for people who have money stashed in tax havens like the Isle of Man?This is just a small sample of the huge range of ideas, projects, stories, papers, meetings, initiatives and hours spent working late into the night that Nordic co-operation generated in 2007.

I april genomförs ett nordiskt globaliseringsforum i Riksgränsen i Sverige med rubriken Ett konkurrenskraftigt Norden i en globaliserad värld. Dessa initiativ kommer att stå högt på den nordiska agendan framöver.De nordiska länderna har nu alltså tagit ett stort steg ut i en värld som präglas av förändring. Våra närområden utvecklas och reformeras, EU växer och länder som xempelvis Kina och Indien är viktiga medspelare på den globala arenan. Det ger oss en ännu bättre chans att använda oss av vår gemensamma styrka när de nordiska länderna agerar i EU, FN och andra internationella organisationer.Det är viktigt att vi tillsammans arbetar målinriktat och i dag och i framtiden fokuserar på de frågor och på de områden där vi gör störst nytta. Det är exakt det vi gör inom det nordiska parlamentariska arbetet och inom regeringssamarbetet.Men vad betyder detta för invånare och företag i Norden? Vad betyder det nordiska samarbetet för en familj som flyttar mellan de nordiska länderna och vill ha med sig sin föräldrapenning från ett land till ett annat? Vad betyder det för en vitrysk student som upplever att universitetet i hemlandet stängs och som därför måste studera i exil? Vad betyder det för folk som har gömt undan pengar i skatteparadis? Detta är ett litet urval av alla de nordiska idéer, projekt, historier, dokument, möten, initiativ och nattarbetstimmar som vi gärna vill berätta om från det nordiska samarbetsåret som gått.

Í apríl á þessu ári fundar norræni hnattvæðingarvettvangurinn í fyrsta sinn í sænska bænum Riksgränsen undir yfirskriftinni Samkeppnishæf Norðurlönd í hnattvæddum heimi.Aðgerðir þessar munu njóta mikils forgangs í norrænu samstarfi á komandi árum. Því má segja að norrænu ríkin hafi tekið stórt skref út í heim sem er hröðum breytingum undirorpinn. Þjóðfélögin í grannríkjum Norðurlandanna þróast hratt þar sem unnið er mikið endurbótastarf, Evrópusambandið vex og stórþjóðirnar Kínverjar og Indverjar eru mættar til leiks á alþjóðavettvangi sem mikilvægir samskiptaaðilar okkar. Allt þetta gefur Norðurlandaþjóðunum enn frekar færi á að nýta sameiginlegan styrk sinn bæði á vettvangi Evrópusamstarfs, Sameinuðu þjóðanna og hjá öðrum alþjóðlegum stofnunum. Því er mikilvægt að við störfum markvisst og leggjum áfram áherslu á þau svið þar sem samstarf okkar nýtist best. Og sú er reyndar raunin í samstarfi norrænna þingmanna og ríkisstjórna.En hvaða áhrif skyldi þetta hafa á almenning og atvinnulíf á Norðurlöndum? Hvernig gagnast norrænt samstarf þeim fjölskyldum sem flytja búferlum á milli Norðurlandanna og vilja varðveita rétt sinn á fæðingarorlofsgreiðslum? Hvernig kemur það námsfólki í Hvíta-Rússlandi til góða, sem verður fyrir því að háskólanum þeirra er lokað svo unga fólkið neyðist til að halda áfram námi sínu í útlegð frá heimalandinu? Og hvaða afleiðingar hefur það fyrir skattarefi sem fela fjársjóði sína í skattaparadísum eins og Mön í Írlandshafi? Þetta eru aðeins nokkur dæmi um allar þær hugmyndir, verkefni, sögur, pappíra, fundi, aðgerðir og næturvinnutíma í norrænu samstarfi á liðnu ári sem við viljum greina frá.

Huhtikuussa järjestetään pohjoismainen globalisaatiofoorumi Riksgränsenissä Ruotsissa, jonka aiheena on Kilpailukykyinen Pohjola globaalissa maailmassa. lobalisaatioaloitteet ovat jatkossa keskeinen osa pohjoismaista yhteistyötä.Pohjoismaat ovat ottaneet ison askeleen muuttuvaan maailmaan. Lähialueemme kehittyvät ja uudistuvat, EU kasvaa ja esimerkiksi Kiina ja Intia ovat tärkeitä globaaleja toimijoita. Pohjoismaiden aktiivisuus EU:ssa, YK:ssa ja muissa kansainvälisissä järjestöissä tarjoaa meille entistä paremmat mahdollisuudet hyödyntää yhteistä ahvuuttamme.Saavutamme suurimman hyödyn suunnitelmallisesti ja keskitymme tulevaisuudessa kysymyksiin ja alueisiin. Juuri tämä on tavoitteemme Pohjoismaiden parlamentaarisessa ja hallitusten välisessä yhteistyössä.Mitä tämä kaikki sitten merkitsee Pohjoismaiden asukkaille ja yrityksille? Mitä pohjoismainen yhteistyö merkitsee perheelle, joka muuttaa toiseen Pohjoismaahan ja haluaa vanhempainrahan maksettavaksi sinne? Mitä se merkitsee valkovenäläiselle opiskelijalle, jonka yliopisto suljetaan kotimaassa ja jonka on opiskeltava maanpaossa? Mitä siitä seuraa ihmisille, jotka ovat kätkeneet rahoja Mansaaren kaltaisiin veroparatiiseihin? Tämän kirjan myötä haluamme esitellä pohjoismaisia ideoita, hankkeita, tarinoita, asiakirjoja, kokouksia, aloitteita ja yötyötunteja, joita kuluneeseen pohjoismaiseen yhteistyövuoteen on sisältynyt.

In this review, the Nordic countries look at the next steps required for meeting the challenges of staying competitive in a global knowledge and innovation driven economy. Competition in a global knowledge economy means among other things that knowledge increasingly becomes a commodity, which can be sourced from anywhere around the world. The Nordic countries have been among the first to internationalise their national innovation systems. They have done so by setting up international innovation centres and technology offices in global innovation hot spots such as Silicon Valley, Shanghai, Beijing, St. Petersburg, Münich and Tokyo. The report suggests that the Nordic countries pool some of their resources and test out the potential gains from co-operation between their existing national export promotion and technology and innovation offices in Asia. Moreover, the report suggests that the next generation of innovation policies will be on the theme of open innovation and how to manage global sourcing of knowledge. The report is interesting reading to any individual interested in the new movements in innovation policies and globalisation.

I denne rapporten ser de nordiske landene nærmere på de fremtidige tiltakene som kreves for å kunne imøtekomme utfordringene ved å forbli konkurransedyktig i en global, kunnskaps- og innovasjonsdrevet økonomi. Konkurranse i en global kunnskapsøkonomi innebærer blant annet at kunnskap i økende grad blir en vare som kan skaffes hvor som helst fra i verden. De nordiske landene er blant de første til å internasjonalisere sine nasjonale innovasjonssystemer. Det er blitt gjort ved å opprette internasjonale innovasjonssentre og tekniske kontorer i tunge, globale innovasjonsmiljøer som Silicon Valley, Shanghai, Beijing, St. Petersburg, München og Tokyo. I rapporten foreslås det at de nordiske landene slår sammen sine ressurser og undersøker mulighetene for gevinst ved samarbeid mellom nåværende nasjonal eksportutvikling og teknologi- og innovasjonskontorer i Asia. I tillegg blir det i rapporten foreslått at neste generasjons innovasjonspolitikk omhandler åpen innovasjon og hvordan man bør håndtere global innhenting av kunnskap. Rapporten er interessant lesning for alle som er interessert i nyeste utvikling innen innovasjonspolitikk og globalisering.

The Nordic countries rank high in international reports of nations' progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Along with other industrialised countries, however, the Nordic countries have been ranked poorly in their progress towards SDG 12, which concerns Sustainable Consumption and Production. This report looks closer at the Nordic countries' main challenges in achieving SDG12 and sets out recommendations for Nordic collaboration to tackle these.

Policy Brief: Ecodesign Requirements for Textiles and Furniture The EU Eco design Directive’s potential for application to nonenergy related themes has come under the spotlight in recent years with Nordic countries at the forefront. A large part of the lifecycle environmental impacts of a product are determined at the design stage.

In this report potential eco design requirements that can be drawn up for non-energy-related products are in focus. Textiles are here used as an example, and a light application of the approach has subsequently been applied to the furniture sector. Clothing and home textiles were chosen due to significant wastage in the value chain due to fast fashion, dropping quality and relatively low repair and reuse rates.

The project was initiated, financed and steered by the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Working Group for Sustainable Consumption and Production and carried out by a consultant team led by PlanMiljø.

The purpose of this guide is to inform and assist different stakeholders in the Nordic region to enhance the recycling of plastic materials from WEEE – Waste Electrical and Electronic Waste. It presents recommendations to various parties: consumers, authorities and policy-makers, recyclers and waste operators, as well as electronics producers.The guide was compiled as part of the Nordic Prime Ministers’ initiative, The Nordic Region – leading in green growth. Read more at www.norden.org/greengrowth or in the web magazine Green Growth the Nordic Way at www.nordicway.org

This policy brief on recycling of WEEE, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, is part of the Nordic Prime Ministers’ green growth initiative, The Nordic Region – leading in green growth. Read more about the initiative in the web magazine Green Growth the Nordic Way at www.nordicway.org or at www.norden.org/greengrowth

Content

• Ville’s Session Diary
• Promoting dialogue in Belarus
• Nordic at heart
• A shot in the arm for Nordic research
• When people become a commodity
• Doomsday vault and the seeds of the world
• Borrow a lesbian and confront prejudice

7 nordiske fortellinger er syv historier om de resultatene det nordiske samarbeidet oppnådde i året som gikk. Historiene viser blant annet hvordan samarbeidet påvirker den nordiske borgeren, og de tar for seg både det parlamentariske samarbeidet i Nordisk råd og samarbeidet på ministernivå i Nordisk ministerråd. Publikasjonen utgis på skandinavisk (dansk, norsk eller svensk), engelsk, finsk og islandsk.

Innhold

• Villes dagbok fra sesjonen
• Norden skaper dialog i Hviterussland
• Norden er mitt hjerteslag
• Vitaminer til forskermiljøet i Norden
• Når mennesker blir handelsvare
• Dommedagshvelvet rommer all verdens frø
• Lån en lesbe – Ministerrådet knuser fordommer

Sisältö

• Villen istuntopäiväkirja
• Pohjoismaat käynnistävät keskustelua Valko-Venäjällä
• Pohjoismaisia sydämenlyöntejä
• Vitamiiniruiske Pohjoismaiden tutkimusympäristölle
• Ihminen kauppatavarana
• Siemenet tallessa Tuomiopäivän holvissa
• Lainaa lesbo – ministerineuvosto murtaa ennakkoluuloja

The report Baltic 2030: Bumps on the Road provides an overview of the 2030 Agenda implementation in the Baltic Sea Region, aimed at informing strategy and prioritisation discussions for national and regional collaboration. For each of the region’s eleven countries, performance on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is examined and five selected SDGs are discussed at the indicator level. Based on this analysis, the authors recommend seven avenues for action where greater collaboration in the region can support SDG achievement. The report was commissioned by the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) and iis jointly published by CBSS and the Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM). It was drafted by the advisory firm Nordic Sustainability and follows the previous Bumps on the Road to 2030 report published by the NCM in 2017.

The Nordic Partnership Initiative on Upscaled Mitigation Action (NPI) supported developing countries in designing and implementing mitigation action and attracting funding from international climate finance and carbon markets. In Peru, the initiative focused on building readiness for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions in the municipal solid waste sector. It generated comprehensive information on the sector’s status and trends in terms of waste and emissions, mitigation potential and costs, and barriers to action. Mitigation plans for landfills were prepared, a robust information system developed, and policy reforms introduced for recognising waste as a valuable raw material. The NPI results have been integrated into national and local development plans and serve as valuable building blocks in the design and implementation of Peru’s mitigation pledges under the Paris Agreement.

This booklet presents actions taken by the Nordic countries to speed the transition to a sustainable low-carbon society. It shows how sustainable development is possible, with strong climate policies contributing to economic growth and job creation as well as environmental improvements. The Nordic countries successfully demonstrate how ambitious climate change mitigation targets and policies can be combined with high levels of human development.

De nordiske befolkninger er lykkeligere end andre i verden, men der findes også mennesker i Danmark, Finland, Island, Norge og Sverige, som giver udtryk for mistrivsel eller sågar for at være ulykkelige, når de beskriver deres liv. Denne rapport undersøger, hvem der ikke er lykkelige i Norden, samt hvilke livsomstændigheder der ligger bag.

This brochure highlights the work conducted by the Joint Nordic screening group. The activities in the Joint Nordic Screening Group can be divided into three areas: 1) Joint screening studies, 2) Sharing knowledge by organizing seminars and 3) literature studies.

The aim of the joint Nordic screening studies is to obtain a snapshot of the occurrence of emerging pollutants in the environment. A Nordic cooperation on screening studies is an advantage for increased representativity of the results since it is possible to include a larger number of samples in a larger area than normally in national studies. In addition, it is cost effective and makes it easy to compare results with neighbouring countries.

The group has its own webpage, from where the reports can be downloaded.

Dette projekt er en samling af gode eksempler på bæredygtig turismeudvikling i Norden, der kan inspirere yderområder til udvikling indenfor turisme. En bæredygtig turisme omfatter en udvikling, der sikrer en langsigtet miljømæssig, socio-kulturel og lokaløkonomisk balance i området, så den bidrager positivt til området og ikke nedslider ressourcegrundlaget. Fokus i eksempelsamlingen ligger især på de miljømæssige og sociokulturelle eksempler, der hjælper lokalsamfund, da der almindeligvis er fokus på økonomiske aspekter indenfor turismeudvikling. Projektets primære formål har været at udarbejde et nordisk »good practice« katalog indenfor bæredygtig og innovativ turismeudvikling og regionale strategier, der kan give yderområder i Norden inspiration og konkrete eksempler, som kan stimulere til lokal udvikling gennem turisme.

Detta projekt har samlat goda exempel på hållbar turismutveckling i Norden som kan inspirera ytterområden till utveckling inom turism. En hållbar turism omfattar en utveckling som säkerställer en långsiktigt miljömässig, sociokulturell och lokalekonomisk balans i området, så att den bidrar positivt till området och inte sliter ner resursunderlaget. Fokus i exempelsamlingen ligger särskilt på de miljömässiga och sociokulturella exempel som hjälper lokalsamhällen, eftersom fokus vanligtvis ligger på ekonomiska aspekter av turismutveckling. Syftet med projektet har i första hand varit att utarbeta en nordisk ”bra praxis”-katalog inom hållbar och innovativ turismutveckling och regionala strategier, som kan ge ytterområden i Norden inspiration och konkreta exempel som kan stimulera till lokal utveckling genom turism.

Increasing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere leads to acidification of marine waters. Ocean acidification is relatively predictable with pH decreasing ~0.02 per decade, whereas changes in coastal pH can be 10 times larger due to changing inputs of nutrients and organic matter from land and warming. Despite that most organisms affected by acidification inhabit the coastal zone, status and trends of coastal acidification as well as possible consequences for marine life are largely overlooked. At present, coastal acidification is not consistently monitored and reported in Nordic countries. The TRIACID project has developed indicators, which are applicable to assess acidification and its potential consequences, provided that pH and other parameters of the carbonate system are monitored. It is recommended to increase focus on this emerging environmental problem.

Nordic approaches to ensure gender equality in the labour market are garnering more and more interest the world over. This think-piece, written by Iselin Løvslett Danbolt, reviews and discusses Nordic solutions for boosting gender balance in leadership. While it is no longer possible to ignore the benefits of gender diversity in business and politics, the Nordic countries have used different approaches to get more women than ever into leadership positions and company boards, such as gender parity quotas and corporate governance codes. However, there is more work to be done, as prevailing mind-sets and practices are still barriers for women to crack the glass ceiling.

The think-piece raises key points for discussion on gender equality in the Nordic region, giving input into ongoing Nordic cooperation and the International Labour Organization’s Women at Work Centenary Initiative.

Nordic approaches to ensure gender equality in the labour market are garnering more and more interest the world over. This think-piece, written by Iselin Løvslett Danbolt, reviews and discusses Nordic approaches to facilitate the often elusive work-family balance. Investments made in care and leave schemes for parents and their children have led to high labour forces participation rates for both women and men, while also ensuring a more equal balance of responsibilities, at work and at home. However, the Nordic labour markets continue to be sex-segregated, with a persistent gender pay gap.

This think-piece raises key points for discussion on gender equality in the Nordic region, giving input into ongoing Nordic cooperation and the International Labour Organization’s Women at Work Centenary Initiative.

This short paper is based on a report covering the findings of a project financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers and executed by the Danish Police Directorate, National Centre of Investigation between 2015 and 2016. The project uncovers which potentially human trafficking-related information is processed by a number of public authorities across five Nordic countries in their daily case processing and how this information is exchanged between the participating public authorities and the police. Based on this, a short good practice is developed and distributed to relevant public authorities. This short paper presents the good practice and the main findings from the report.

Det nordiske samarbeidet innenfor sosial- og helseområdet er basert på de felles verdiene som utgjør fundamentet i den nordiske velferdsmodellen. Det handler om at alle nordboere skal få samme muligheter, til sosial solidaritet, tilgjengelighet og trygghet for alle. For å oppfylle dette målet finnes det seks nordiske institusjoner og to samarbeidsorganer.Som et ledd i moderniseringen av strukturen i Nordisk Ministerråd besluttet Ministerrådet for sosial- og helsepolitikk (MR-S) på ministermøtet den 11.-12. juni 2006 å anmode den Nordiske embedsmannskomitéen for sosial- og helsepolitikk (EK-S) om å sette i gang en gjennomgang og vurdering av disse institusjonene og samarbeidsorganene.Grunntanken med gjennomgang av institusjonene og samarbeidsorganene var å sikre en fortsatt effektivisering på området og en målrettet innsats på de prioriteringsområdene som finnes innen samarbeidet på det sosial- og helsepolitiske området. En ytterligere målsetting var å forbedre institusjonenes rolle til å fungere som redskap for MR-S for å oppnå politisk fastsatte mål innen rammen for nordisk nytte.For å gjennomføre utredningen ble det ansatt en ekstern ekspert, Brit Denstad, som har forfattet denne rapporten. De konkrete anbefalingene i denne rapporten er kun basert på Denstads konklusjoner og avspeiler ikke nødvendigvis de nordiske regjeringenes synspunkter. Nordisk Ministerråds sekretariat er ansvarlig for utformingen av avsnitt 1 og 3.

Pohjolan nuoret katsovat pornografiaa. Miten nuoret käyttävät pornografiaa päivittäisessä elämässään? Vaikuttaako pornografia nuorten sukupuolinäkemyksiin? Tutkimushanke Nuoret, sukupuoli ja pornografia Pohjolassa(2004-2006) on tutkinut pornografian levinneisyyttä ja sen uutta kulttuurillista statusta. Projekti kattaa kaikkiaan 9tutkimusta nuorten näkemyksistä ja kokemuksista pornografiasta. Tutkimukset perustuvat kvalitatiivisiin haastatteluihin nuorten kanssa, nuorisomedian sisältöä koskeviin analyyseihin sekä kvantitatiivisiin tutkimustuloksiin käyttötavoista ja asenteista pornografiaa kohtaan. Projekti on suoritettu Pohjoismaiden naistutkimusinstituutin alaisuudessa (NIKK) Pohjoismaiden Ministerineuvoston aloitteesta. Keskeiset sukupuolitutkijat koko Pohjolasta ovat ottaneet osaa tutkimukseen, joka kattaa kaikki Pohjoismaat. Projektipäälliköiden tuottama loppuraportti antaa kootun kuvauksen tutkimusten suunnittelusta, metodeista ja tuloksista sekä esittelee tutkimushankkeen keskeisimmät johtopäätökset.

Nordens unge ser pornografi. Hvordan bruger unge pornografien i deres hverdagsliv? Indvirker pornografien på de unges kønsforståelser? Forskningsprojektet Unge, køn og pornografi i Norden (2004-2006)har undersøgt pornografiens udbredelse og nye kulturelle status. Projektet omfatter i alt 9 studier omkring unges holdninger til og erfaringer med pornografi. Undersøgelserne omfatter kvalitative interviews med unge, indholdsanalyser af ungdomsmedier og kvantitative data om forbrugsmønstre og holdninger til pornografi. Projektet er gennemført af Nordisk institut for kvinde- og kønsforskning (NIKK) på initiativ af Nordisk Ministerråd. Centrale kønsforskere fra hele Norden har bidraget til undersøgelserne, som dækker alle de nordiske lande. Projektledelsens slutrapport giver en samlet fremstilling af studiernes design, metoder og resultater og forskningsprojektets mest centrale konklusioner præsenteres.

This policy brief on Nordic textile reuse and recycling is part of the Nordic Prime Ministers’ overall green growth initiative, The Nordic Region – leading in green growth. Read more in the web magazine Green Growth the Nordic Way at www.nordicway.org or at www.norden.org/greengrowth

Hallå Norden är Nordiska ministerrådets informationstjänst och har kontor i de nordiska länderna samt på Färöarna, Grönland och Åland. Vår uppgift är att förenkla privatpersoners möjligheter att röra sig fritt i Norden. Det gör vi genom att informera om gällande nordiska regelverk vid flytt, pendling och annat. 

Protected areas are established for nature conservation purposes, but in many cases they also provide excellent opportunities for outdoor recreation. For instance, the national parks of the Nordic countries contain some of the finest sceneries in Northern Europe. An increased focus on protected areas also means that the effects of their recreational use on the nature and environment need to be monitored. As the importance of the specific areas for recreational use increases, a solid basis is needed for planning and management decisions. In order to provide accurate services and allocate resources accordingly, the managers of the areas need information on the visitors, their numbers, behaviour, expectations etc. This is the final report of the workshop "Nordic and Baltic Workshop on Visitor Information Needs and Monitoring Methods (NBW)". The report both summarises the results of the workshop and provides an overview of the status of visitor monitoring in the Nordic and Baltic countries.

The aim of the guidelines is to inspire, inform and give recommendations on how plastic packaging waste from households can be collected, and how different aspects concerning collection of plastic packaging can be taken into account without recommending a certain collection system in front of another. The aspects considered are: collected amounts, quality of the collected amounts, economic aspects, environmental impact, service level and communication, and flexibility. The guidelines are presented in a separate document and based on Nordic experience. The report is part of the Nordic Prime Ministers' green growth initiative: “The Nordic Region – leading in green growth”. Read more in the web magazine “Green Growth the Nordic Way” at www.nordicway.org or at www.norden.org/greengrowth

The parliamentarians around the world find themselves faced with a major task of developing wise and effective climate legislation, which can maintain the world on course with the goals set by the Paris Agreement of 2015. Using legislation,the parliaments must hold the government firm on an overall climate goal. They must approve the laws that are a prerequisite for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and create an understanding among their respective voters for the measures deemed necessary to contribute to the solution to the challenge of climate change.

Unfortunately, there is no blueprint and definitive answer to the question of what constitutes good climate legislation. Fortunately, however, there are now many experiences upon which we can draw in order to reduce the risk that ambitions for good climate laws are not fulfilled. In this handbook for parliamentarians, Steen Gade, former MP in Denmark and former member of the Nordic Council, has collected some of the experiences of climate legislation and parliamentary climate work that has been carried out in the Nordic countries so far. The book contains some advice and tips on how to become a climate clever parliamentarian. The Nordic Council decided to publish this book in the hope that both current and future generations of parliamentarians in the Nordic countries, as well as in other countries, will be inspired and benefit from it, in the effort to limit the dangerous effects of global climate change.

The Paris Agreement is widely considered to be of historic significance sending a strong signal to non-state actors that countries stand behind curbing greenhouse gas emissions with the objective to keep temperature rise well below 2°C, with efforts to stay below 1.5°C. Still the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions by national governments will likely limit temperature rise to under 3°C but be insufficient to limit it to 2°C or lower. The multitude of international cooperative initiatives (ICIs) underway outside the formal negotiating process will be needed to support these government actions.

In response to the growing interest in the potential for ICIs the Climate Initiative Platform was developed. This report highlights the information currently present in the platform as well as the changes and outlook for this comprehensive data on cooperative initiatives post-2015.

Air pollution has been estimated to lead to ca. 10.000 premature deaths every year in the Nordic countries. The external costs related to the health effects of air pollution amounts to EUR 8-13 billion per year. Main drivers, such as changes in climate, anthropogenic emissions, building structure and demography have a vast impact on air quality-related effects on human health. The purpose of the FutureAirNordic project has been to investigate how potential future changes in main drivers will impact the assessment of air quality-related human health effects. Estimations of premature mortality due to exposure to air pollution as well as the external costs associated with the negative health effects have been analyzed. The results can contribute to improved assessments under future conditions and can be used to evaluate how policies and regulations impact the health effects of air pollution.

Under 30 år utvecklades miljösamarbetet positivt i Östersjöregionen. Inom ramen för den nordliga dimensionens miljöpartnerskap har bland annat avloppsreningen i S:t Petersburg förbättrats avsevärt och uppfyller idag Östersjökommissionen HELCOM:s krav.

Trots det återstår mycket arbete för att rädda Östersjön. Den politiska kris som uppstod mellan Ryssland och EU efter Rysslands annektering av Krimhalvön våren 2014, ledde till att EU beslöt om ekonomiska sanktioner mot Ryssland. Dessa sanktioner satte samtidigt stopp för en fortsatt europeisk och nordisk finansiell medverkan i nya miljöprojekt i Ryssland. Försvagade internationella kontakter mellan ryska miljömyndigheter och övriga Östersjöländer kommer att leda till ökade miljörisker och en försämrad säkerhetssituation i hela Östersjöregionen.

Christina Gestrin, tidigare finländsk riksdagsledamot, har i denna rapport beskrivit hur miljösamarbetet i Östersjöregionen uppkommit och utvecklats, om framgångar och utmaningar. Hon riktar konkreta åtgärdsförslag till Östersjöregionens regeringar och föreslår bland annat att tolkningen av EU:s sanktioner ska ses över till den del de berör miljösamarbetet. Rapporten baserar sig på intervjuer och diskussioner med personer som har haft och har en stor betydelse för miljösamarbetet i Östersjöregionen.

Eating by mistake the deadly poisonous mushrooms:Deathcap or Destroying Angel instead of the edible PaddyStraw Mushroom may be disastrous. These mistakes haveresulted in a number of serious poisonings in the Nordiccountries, including very serious liver damage and inseveral cases death. Many of these poisonings, includingfatal cases, have been registered among Southeast Asianimmigrants or visitors in the Nordic countries. General advices on safe use of mushrooms:

• Eat only mushrooms, which you are 100% sure that yourecognize• Eat only mushrooms, which are generally recognized as edible.

• Do not eat spoiled mushrooms.

• When eating a new species of mushrooms for the first time, always start up with a small portion in order to minimize therisk for allergy or other hypersensitivity reactions.

• Do not eat mushrooms raw, as many mushrooms may causediscomfort if eaten raw, e.g., stomach pain or nausea. Especially for foreigners collecting mushrooms in the Nordic countries.

• Learn carefully about the mushrooms in the Nordic countries,– they may look like some edible mushrooms in your homecountry, but can be deadly poisonous.

This pre-project report is the result of work requested by the former working group “Hållbar mobilitet” (Sustainable Mobility) of the “Nordisk Embetsmanns-komité for Transportpolitikk” (NET), which previously existed under the Nordic Council of Ministers. The assignment was to establish whether indicators for the integration of environmental concerns in transport policies in the Nordic Countries could be established. The pre-project was to outline a description of a main project, in case the answer was positive. The pre-project found that it would indeed be relevant and possible to develop such indicators. However, since the Working Group was discontinued, the proposed main project did not go forward. This report contains the findings of the pre-project – including an outline of possible main project, which will therefore not materialise in the proposed form.

Evaluering av genomförandet av Den Nordiska strategin för hållbar utveckling 2005–2008.

Ministrarna för utbildning och forskning (MR-U) har i sitt samarbetsprogram satt som mål att Norden även i framtiden ska vara en ledande region för kunskap och välfärd. I detta sammanhang genomfördes ett strategiskt arbete inom utbildningsområdet som syftar till ett förnyat och förstärkt nordiskt utbildningssamarbete, vilket ska bidra till att ge konkreta lösningar på de utmaningar vi har idag och framtiden.

Gruppen bakom rapporten är tidigare gymnasie- och kunskapslyftsminister Aida Hadzialic, departementsråd Petter Skarheim och kansler Thomas Wilhelmsson.