Discussed preparedness in the North

The Nordic countries have signed a joint declaration on security of supply and preparedness cooperation. The initiative aims to ensure better access to goods and services in times of crisis and war.

This is stated by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Fisheries in a press release.

The current security situation in Europe has highlighted the need for resilient supply chains. Now the Nordic countries Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Denmark, together with Åland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, have agreed on a joint declaration to further develop cooperation to maintain production, logistics and distribution of critical goods and services during crises and war, the statement says.

The declaration facilitates increased cooperation on, among other things:

· further development of schemes for the flow of goods and services in crises and war

· public-private collaboration on security of supply and emergency preparedness

· emergency storage and material readiness

· access to critical raw materials and strategic resources

· exchange of experiences and knowledge between the countries

“The Nordic countries are stronger when we cooperate. Close Nordic coordination is important to ensure that goods and services reach their destination even in demanding situations,” says Norway's Minister of Trade and Industry Cecilie Myrseth (Labour).

In a survey conducted on behalf of Norwegian telecompany Telenor, 59 percent of respondents in Northern Norway said they are concerned that the mobile network could be put out of service as a result of sabotage.

"No one can promise that the network will never go down. But Telenor has built a network, a system and an organization that is ready to handle most challenges and crises", says Birgitte Engebretsen, CEO, Telenor Norway, in a press release.

Both the Intelligence Service, the Police Security Service and the National Security Authority point to sabotage of infrastructure as a scenario to be prepared for that could hit Norway at any time. Over the past five years, Telenor has invested 14 billion in modernizing and securing its networks.

A cable that are exposed in the open air makes Norway more vulnerable to sabotage. Now the National Communications Unit (Nkom) and the e-com industry are joining forces to strengthen security around critical infrastructure.

“We need to gain better control over which cables are so important that they must be better protected against damage, sabotage and outages,” says Svein Scheie, security director at Nkom according to a press release.

He believes the work is very important for digital preparedness in Norway.

According to Minister of Digitalization and Public Administration Karianne Tung (Labour), there is great economic and social value in the use of the cables.

"In the government's plan for Norway, we are investing heavily in security in the digital infrastructure. The fiber cables transport great values for Norwegian business to the world. They are the basis for us to live and work throughout the country. That is why it is so important that we secure them better against sabotage, accidents and extreme weather", says Tung.

This week, a joint Nordic transport ministers' meeting was held in Rovaniemi, Finland. The purpose of the meeting was to observe the NATO exercise Cold Response 2026 and discuss a recently developed joint Nordic strategy for preparedness in the transport system.

In 2025, through the Nordic Transport Preparedness Cooperation (NTPC), close cooperation has been established and a joint Nordic strategy has been created on behalf of the Nordic transport ministers.

The strategy is based on the transport plans of the individual Nordic countries, and a set of common priorities is proposed. This concerns the transport corridors that are of greatest importance in a Nordic context, and the measures that NTPC considers to be most critical.

In addition, challenges and needs for follow-up of infrastructure, materials, regulations and transport services must be identified.

In a joint statement, the three transport ministers agreed to prioritize the most important transport routes across national borders. They will also remove traffic obstacles to facilitate the movement of the armed forces, and to ensure good crisis preparedness and the safe delivery of goods.