Nordic Council and Scotland to work together at COP26
Bertel Haarder, President of the Nordic Council 2021.
The meeting reflected the good relations between the Nordic Council and the Scottish Parliament. It followed up on a previous meeting in January 2020, when a delegation from the Council visited Edinburgh. Both sides continue to express a mutual interest in working more closely together.
In concrete terms, plans for working together at COP26 have now been discussed. The details have yet to be finalised but may include joint events at the Nordic Pavilion in Glasgow, where the Nordic Council will host several events.
“Personally, I am delighted that the Scottish Parliament and the Nordic Council will work together on COP26. Both parties see the climate as a top priority and recognise that the climate goals can only be met through international co-operation. The Nordic countries share a vision of becoming the world’s most sustainable and integrated region by 2030, and we are used to working with others,” Haarder says.
The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Ken Macintosh, was also pleased with the outcome.
“The historical, cultural and geographical bonds between Scotland and Nordic countries run strong and wide. Collaboration and joint working between the Scottish Parliament and the Nordic Council ahead of, during, and after COP26 is so important given our shared priority in tackling the climate emergency.” he said.
Close friendship with the United Kingdom
Highlighting the close friendship between the Nordic Region and Scotland, Haarder said that it was important for the Nordic Council to have close working relations not only with Scotland but with the United Kingdom as a whole. The Council’s international strategy for 2018–2022 explicitly states that “despite Brexit, the United Kingdom is an obvious partner for the Nordic Region”.
The United Kingdom will host the UN climate conference COP26 on 1–12 November.
The Nordic Council was established in 1952 and is the official interparliamentary body in the Nordic Region. It has 87 elected members from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, as well as from the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland.
