The Nordic countries are strengthening their “transport preparedness” with a new cooperation agreement signed on January 16, 2025. At the same time, the countries are expanding their cooperation to deal with “exceptional situations,” the seriousness of which exceeds that of normal peacetime situations.
The aim is to make sure that transport services will remain available even under critical conditions.
The cooperation in transport system preparedness previously established between Finland and Sweden will now be fully extended to Norway and Denmark. Iceland also has the opportunity to play a part as needed given its geographical location.
The MoU signed last week, Nordic Transport Preparedness Cooperation (NTPC), aims to ensure that land, sea, and air transport can better manage crisis situations such as natural disasters, major accidents, and other societal crises.
The Nordic countries are also expanding their cooperation to deal with “exceptional situations.”
The collaboration involves sharing resources, knowledge, and experiences, as well as developing joint models and practices for transport systems and applies to all modes of transport such as aviation, shipping, rail and road.
The Danish Maritime Authority and the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority signed the agreement on behalf of Denmark, with the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority serving as the national coordinator.
The agreement marks an important step in cooperation between the transport authorities of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland to create “more robust transport systems and improve crisis management.”
In Finland, this cooperation is being developed by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom and the Finish Transport Infrastructure Agency. The National Emergency Supply Agency participates in the cooperation.
“The importance of preparedness and security is particularly relevant in the world we are currently living in. Our job is to ensure that the transport system works under all conditions. Infrastructure must be crisis-resilient and transport services must be accessible to people. All this serves both civilian and military needs,” said Jarkko Saarimäki, director-general of Traficom.
