"The Riksgränsen Declaration issued by the five prime ministers injects new vigour into the ongoing and intensive joint work being done to face up to the challenges posed by globalisation. The Riksgränsen meeting provided a new boost to the sense of community felt by the Nordic countries," said Halldór Ásgrímsson, the Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers. At a meeting in Punkaharju, Finland, last year the prime ministers launched a number of initiatives designed to help the Region cope with global challenges. They involved a modernisation and streamlining of official Nordic co-operation. The Secretary General has now met the five premiers in Riksgränsen in the far north of Sweden to take the work to the next level.
"The most important aspect of Nordic co-operation is that the countries jointly apply their research and innovation capacity and competitiveness in order to meet global challenges. The meeting in Riksgränsen provided the opportunity for more people to join in the process and make themselves heard. Discussions about the proposal submitted on excellence in research were promising and well received, which will help in the future," Ásgrímsson stressed.
The Nordic Globalisation Forum in Riksgränsen, 8-9 April 2008, under the heading ''A Competitive Nordic Region in a Globalised World'', was designed to inspire and stimulate debate about the challenges and opportunities inherent in the whole process of globalisation. Representatives of the Nordic Council, the autonomous territories, business, industry, the education, training and research sector, NGOs and the civil service all participated.
Riksgränsen was the first gathering of its kind but the Council of Ministers intends to make the Nordic Globalisation Forum an annual event.