Nordic security of supply will become more closely coordinated across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, together with Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland, under a joint declaration signed on 2 September. The agreement aims to keep essential goods and services moving across the Nordic region during major crises, security emergencies and war.
The declaration was signed in connection with the annual Nordic Supplies Summit and covers production, logistics, distribution and trade. It reflects a broader effort by Nordic governments to treat economic and logistical resilience increasingly as a regional issue rather than only a domestic one.
Nordic security of supply becomes a regional system
According to the Joint Nordic Declaration on Security of Supply, the participating governments want to strengthen arrangements that can maintain the flow of goods and services during crises and war.
Cooperation will focus on emergency stockpiles and material preparedness, access to critical raw materials and strategic resources, and closer exchanges of information and expertise.
Another priority is cooperation between governments and businesses. Private companies operate much of the infrastructure, transport and supply chains that would have to continue functioning during a serious disruption.
The Norwegian government said closer coordination could improve industry’s access to raw materials, other inputs and specialised personnel during crises, while helping trade continue across Nordic borders.
Norway already has longstanding arrangements on security of supply with Sweden and Finland. These bilateral experiences are expected to provide part of the basis for the expanded Nordic framework.
Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland are also involved
The declaration brings together not only the five Nordic countries but also the autonomous territories of Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland.
The participants are the relevant ministries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, alongside the governments of Åland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
Their inclusion gives the cooperation a geographical scope covering the broader Nordic region, including territories whose locations are particularly relevant to North Atlantic and Baltic supply routes.
The declaration also states that cooperation may be extended to other countries in specific cases.
The Nordic network will coordinate the next steps
The work will be organised through the Nordic Security of Supply Network (NSSN), an initiative first proposed by Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in 2023.
The network was subsequently developed through the first Nordic summit on security of supply in Copenhagen in 2024. It is intended to provide a permanent framework for cooperation between ministries and authorities responsible for preparedness and essential supplies.
Under the new declaration, a joint feasibility study will examine opportunities for deeper cooperation and report its findings to the NSSN during 2027. Participating governments will also regularly assess progress and results.
The declaration itself is not legally binding and does not create new rights or obligations under international, EU or domestic law.
A future Nordic agreement could replace bilateral arrangements
The declaration may nevertheless be the beginning of a more formal framework. According to the Norwegian government, the Nordic countries will consider negotiating a common agreement on security of supply that could supplement or replace existing bilateral agreements.
The initiative follows several years of growing Nordic cooperation on civil preparedness and resilience, accelerated by the changed security environment in Europe.
Sweden’s Ministry of Defence described security of supply as the capacity to maintain access to goods and services necessary for the population and essential societal functions during peacetime crises and heightened preparedness, while also contributing to military defence capability.
The next phase will therefore determine how far the Nordic countries and autonomous territories can move from political coordination towards shared mechanisms for keeping critical supply chains operating across borders. The 2027 study and the possible negotiation of a common agreement will be the first tests of how concrete that regional approach can become.
