Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen at luncheon on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Nordic Council

"There is more that unites us than separates us", it was said, on both sides of Jutland Current in the mid-1800s, when pan-Scandinavianism first started to take shape. More than one century later, when the Nordic House was inaugurated in Reykjavik, Halldór Laxness stated: "The Nordic idea - I will not start to define the Nordic idea. If it has not already been defined, it would be too late now, now that this house is already built … The fact that the house exists says more than any words can."

The fact that we are here today says more than words can. It is the Nordic idea that unites us

Nordic cooperation came into being through a citizens' movement among students, the labour movements and the world of business. When the Nordic Council was established, there was an obvious need for an inter-parliamentary cooperative body. However, the Nordic Council became even more. It became a forum where parliamentarians and representatives of governments meet each other, where ministers give feedback on the initiatives of parliamentarians and where question time is a cross-fire of questions and answers that go beyond national borders.

The Nordic countries were a pioneering area 50 years ago. During the time when Europe was dedicated to a coal and steel union, the Nordic countries created a passport-free area, integrated labour markets and a social security system that extended beyond the internal borders. The Nordic countries have developed a citizen-centred social model that is based on human dignity, equality and well-being. The Nordic society has been strengthened as a result of the close cooperation in the fields of culture, education and research.

Europe is currently undergoing a process of great change. It is interesting to compare the structures of the different organisations for cooperation and the results that they achieve. The European Union has, for example, achieved a great deal in the area of economic and also security policy. However, the primary objectives that have been set in the convention on the future of the EU are to increase democracy, openness and inclusion. In the same way the importance of culture becomes emphasised in the well-balanced development of people and their communities in this world of rapid globalisation.

The Nordic countries have also formed an open and tolerant area. Our cooperation has been successful in spite of the different decisions that our countries have made regarding economic and security policies.

The five Nordic countries have been completely united in their approach towards the adjacent area around the Baltic Sea. During the past ten years a network of co-operation has sprung up which forms a good basis for future action.

The Nordic area has been built through 50 years of organised regional cooperation. The results have been good for the individual countries, for relations between the countries as well as for our relations with the rest of the world. I would assume that the regional cooperation will occupy at least as important a position in the near future with the enlargement of the EU.

Nostakaamme malja pohjoismaiselle yhteistyölle ja Pohjolan kaikille yhteistyökumppaneille.
Let me propose a toast to Nordic co-operation, including all co-operation partners.
Låt oss tillsammans utbringa en skål för nordiskt samarbete och för Nordens samtliga samarbetspartner.