Flags flying on the roof of The Nordic House in the Faroe Islands. Photo: Jitka Lenda © Riksantikvaren

The Nordic Council of Ministers
The Directorate for Cultural Heritage participates in cultural heritage cooperation under the auspices of the Nordic Council of Ministers, the forum for Nordic inter-governmental cooperation. The Nordic Council of Ministers was established in 1971, and meetings are held among representatives from all the Nordic countries at political as well as at Director-General level. The headquarters of the Nordic Council of Ministers are located in Copenhagen.

Nordic cooperation involves Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden as well as the three autonomous areas – the Faroe Islands, Greenland and the Åland Islands. The language, mindset and welfare systems of these countries have a number of features in common.

The Directorate’s specialist areas come under the Terrestrial Ecosystem Group (TEG) which is one of eight permanent working groups under the Nordic Council of Ministers for the Environment. Specific activities linked to the cultural environment field are followed up by the TEG.

TEG prioritises the support of projects that integrate the sustainable use of the natural environment, biological diversity, landscape, historical buildings, monuments and sites, cultural environments and outdoor recreation. The Norwegian members of the group are two of the Ministry of the Environment’s departments – the Department for Nature Management and the Department for Cultural Heritage Management. The Directorate has been involved in a large number of Nordic projects in this field.

Outdoor museum on the island of Koltur, Faroe Islands. Photo: Jitka Lenda © Riksantikvaren

Nordic meetings at Director-General level
The heads of cultural heritage institutions in Denmark, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden meet once a year. These meetings act as a forum of cooperation and have was formalised in the early 1990s. The Faroe Islands and Greenland became members in 2008. The Nordic coordinators are responsible for planning and preparing these meetings.

This year’s meeting was held on the Faroe Islands from 6-9th June 2011. Norway will be host to the 2012 meeting when the programme will be incorporated in The Directorate’s centennial anniversary. Åland will be attending the next meeting for the first time.