In a joint statement the ministers promote an approach based on competitiveness and resilience in an open, risk-based manner compatible with international partnerships and fair competition. Without slowing down innovation, the ministers emphasize the need to remove unnecessary burdens whilst ensuring effective oversight for trustworthy use of technologies.
The Nordics and Baltics are frontrunners in adopting new technologies. This has provided a strong foundation for productivity and innovation diffusion, but left the region overly reliant on a limited number of technology providers. Today, the Nordic and Baltic Ministers of digitalisation set out a new course to strengthen the digital sovereignty of our region towards 2030.
„With this joint statement we are strengthening our digital sovereignty. We must work closely together to harness the opportunities of AI, address its risks and remain among the world’s most digitally advanced societies. A stronger digital sovereignty requires reinforcing our own digital capabilities and infrastructure while reducing our dependence on a few major tech companies. This joint statement is an important step in the right direction”, – states Christina Egelund, Minister for Science, Higher Education and Digital Affairs in Denmark
Reducing critical dependencies
The statement identifies several areas where the Nordic and Baltic countries want to strengthen the common capacity to act. These include cooperation on cloud services and the security of subsea communication cables, as well as investments in digital infrastructure, research, and skills. Future funding will increasingly be directed towards Nordic and Baltic projects that deliver concrete regional impact.
„Together, the Nordic and Baltic countries can achieve things that none of us could accomplish alone. Through joint investments, shared solutions and closer cooperation, we can strengthen both our competitiveness and resilience, while moving closer to our ambition of becoming the most digitally integrated region in the world by 2030”, – says Aksel Vilhelmson Johannesen, Minister of Finance of the Faroe Islands
A shared digital future for the region
The joint statement was adopted at a meeting in Copenhagen on November 6, 2026 between the Nordic and Baltic Ministers of Digitalisation. In the discussion on digital sovereignty, the ministers welcomed perspectives from the Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Oksana Ferchuk.
New Nordics AI – High Level Forum
Following the ministerial meeting, the discussion on AI and digital sovereignty continued at the New Nordics AI High-Level Forum 2026, organised by New Nordics AI.
New Nordics AI is a Nordic-Baltic platform for cooperation on artificial intelligence, established with support from the Nordic Council of Ministers. Its mission is to strengthen regional collaboration, accelerate the responsible adoption of AI and help the region seize the opportunities created by artificial intelligence.
The High-Level Forum brought together leaders from government, business, academia and civil society to discuss how artificial intelligence can strengthen competitiveness, welfare and digital sovereignty across the Nordic-Baltic region.
„The Nordic and Baltic countries may be small individually, but together we represent one of the world’s most advanced digital regions, with exceptional talent, innovative companies and universities, strong public institutions, societal trust and resilience and a unique culture of collaboration. New Nordics AI exists to turn those strengths into concrete action, helping the region learn faster, work closer together and accelerate a responsible adoption of AI which serves the interests of society as a whole”, – Kristian Skaarup, Managing Director of New Nordics AI
The Forum also marked an important milestone for regional cooperation, as representatives from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were formally welcomed as partners in New Nordics AI, opening a new chapter in Nordic-Baltic collaboration on artificial intelligence.
