Nordic thematic groups 2017-2020

Nordregio contributes to the Nordic co-operation Programme for Regional Development and Planning 2017-2020 by acting as the secretariat for three thematic groups under the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Committee of Senior Officials for Regional Policy (EK-R).

The main purpose of the thematic groups is to contribute to the exchange of knowledge and experience between regional policy stakeholders in the Nordic countries, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland. The programme period is four years (2017-2020) and the thematic groups are expected to develop projects throughout the full period. The three thematic groups build upon the work of the Nordic Working Groups running under the previous co-operation programme from 2013 till 2016. The new thematic groups include representatives of the regions in the Nordic countries along with representatives from the national administrative level.

The new groups have the following themes:

• Sustainable Rural Development (external link)
• Innovative and Resilient Regions (external link)
• Sustainable Cities and Urban Development (external link)

Each group also has to consider these horizontal themes in their work:

• Children and youth
• Economic, social and environmental sustainability
• Equality
• Integration
• Arctic
• Administrative reforms
• Tourism (new)