Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland to gain equal status in Nordic Council

The Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland will be reviewed for equal membership in the Nordic Council and Nordic Council of Ministers, following a decision to re-examine the Helsinki Treaty, Faroese broadcaster Kringvarp Føroya reports.

A committee has been established to propose amendments to the treaty, aiming to enable full participation for the three autonomous territories alongside the five Nordic sovereign states. The Nordic Council of Ministers announced the move on Monday.

The eight-member committee will represent all Nordic governments, including the Faroe Islands. Denmark, which currently holds the presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers, will chair the group. Legal scholar Elina Pirjatanniemi, a professor at Åbo Akademi University, will assist the committee. Pirjatanniemi previously led preliminary work assessing the legal implications of revising the Helsinki Treaty.

The committee is tasked with drafting proposals for substantial treaty changes and other measures that could grant the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland equal participation in Nordic cooperation.