The countries of Northern Europe pledged close cooperation on Wednesday after a protracted period of border closures related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Members of the Nordic Council have a shared vision of becoming the most sustainable and most integrated region on earth by 2030, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said at a meeting of the council in Copenhagen.
The Nordic Council consists of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland, as well as the largely autonomous Faroe Islands, Greenland and Aland.
Over the course of the Covid-19 crisis, several Scandinavian countries closed their borders.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that the measures had been necessary because of the pandemic.
Supply readiness
"I believe that none of us want measures at the borders that are not necessary," she said alongside other regional heads of government and the Swedish minister for Nordic cooperation, Anna Hallberg, who was representing Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.
The allies agreed in a joint declaration to cooperate on security and supply readiness in case of future crises.
"We have to prepare for scenarios that require immediate crisis responses and emergency resources," she added.
