Introduction
The Co-operation Programme for the Council of Ministers for Sustainable Growth (Business) describes the political priorities and goals for the business sector, including construction and housing, for the 2025–2030 period.
The Nordic Region has an ambition to be the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. This is the core of the Nordic Council of Ministers' Vision 2030 which was adopted by the Nordic Prime Ministers in August 2019. In order to realise the vision, this new co-operation programme for sustainable growth in 2025–2030 will take its starting point from the three strategic priorities established in Vision 2030; namely a green Nordic Region, a socially sustainable Nordic Region and a competitive Nordic Region.
The Nordic countries have committed themselves to ambitious climate targets. Achieving these climate goals will entail one of the largest societal transformations of our time. Accelerating the green transition and the development of green solutions is increasingly important if the Nordic countries are to achieve their climate ambitions. For the green transition of the business sector to be possible, Nordic companies will need to possess the capacity and ability to renew themselves, and to compete on a global market characterised by an unpredictable economic and geopolitical situation. At the same time, the region also faces major challenges relating to its own demographics and society. Herein lie the primary challenges which form the basis for the goals and sub-goals for the co-operation programme for sustainable growth for 2025–2030.
The Nordic Council, civil society and other relevant stakeholders have been involved in the development of the co-operation programme. In order to establish broad consensus and relevance for the co-operation programme, the Nordic Council and the Nordic civil society network, Nordic Civ, have been given the opportunity to provide feedback for the coming vision period of 2025–2030. A public hearing has also been arranged on Norden.org in order to ensure that perspectives not covered by the other actors named here can also be included.
The co-operation programme is the governing document for all activity undertaken by the Council of Ministers for Business Policy. The co-operation programme was approved by the Nordic Council of Ministers for Sustainable Growth (MR-Vekst) on 4 October 2024 and applies until 31 December 2030.
The co-operation programme takes its starting point from the mission of the Nordic Council of Ministers to contribute towards realising the vision of a Nordic Region which is the world’s most sustainable and integrated region by 2030.
The co-operation programme for sustainable growth contains important cross-sectoral touchpoints with other sectors, especially in relation to the green transition and digitisation. Cross-sectoral co-operation is therefore important to address cross-sector problems, leverage synergies and to boost the impact of implementing the programme’s goals.
For the green transition of the business sector to be possible, Nordic companies will need to possess the capacity and ability to renew themselves, and to compete on a global market characterised by an unpredictable economic and geopolitical situation.
All activities in the Nordic Council of Ministers will contribute to fulfilling our vision that the Nordic Region will be the world's most sustainable and integrated region in 2030. The co-operation programme describes how the sector will work with the three strategic priority areas.