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Utvecklingen på den nordiska bostadsmarknaden har den senaste tiden varit föremål för en rad analyser och rekommendationer från bland annat EU, OECD och IMF. Den första delen av 2000-talet var utvecklingen i de nordiska länderna ganska likartad där en kraftig högkonjunktur, relativt låga räntor, mer generösa låneformer på kreditmarknaden resulterade i stora ökningar i bostadspriserna. Sedan andra halvan av 2000-talet har emellertid utvecklingen skiljt sig åt markant mellan de nordiska länderna. År 2013 befinner sig bostadsmarknaden i de nordiska länderna i olika utvecklingsfaser med delvis olika ekonomiska och politiska utmaningar.Rapporten har framtagits inför det nordiska finansministermötet hösten 2013.

Fossil-fuel subsidies matter: for sustainable development, for government budgets, for the poor, for women, and for the environment. Subsidies amounted to $544 billion (2012) and are largest in MENA and Southeast Asia. Reforming and redirecting subsidies will be an important piece of the jigsaw if we are to solve the climate change puzzle. Savings enable governments to manage deficits, could be redirected at building energy networks, or targeted at social spending. This paper finds opportunities for Nordic countries to increase cooperation around reform and makes specific recommendations. The paper is part of the Nordic Prime Ministers' overall green growth initiative - read also more in the web magazine Green Growth the Nordic Way at www.nordicway.org

As Nordic countries have an ambition to be sustainability leaders, enabling sustainable consumption and lifestyles with efficient policies is an important part of reaching this goal. Research demonstrates that evidence from behavioural and social science is not routinely incorporated into policy design. Consequently, some persistent misconceptions – myths –about consumer behaviour have perpetuated in the mainstream discourse, especially in policy circles. The goal of this study is to dispel myths that thwart sustainability by bringing forward existing evidence on consumer behaviour to aid the development of efficient policies in Nordic countries. A meta-analysis of the existing international research on consumer behaviour from psychology, sociology, behavioural economics, policy and anthropology was conducted. The results demonstrate that it is unrealistic to expect a sustainable society to materialise from current political strate gies. The changes needed are significant, and this study shows that policy makers need to create the “politics of possibility” towards sustainability by using the plethora of existing and innovative strategies and tools synergistically.

The Economic Outlook in the Nordic countries 2014 is the review from the Nordic Working Group of Economic Trends for the economic situation in the Nordic countries autumn 2013. The review contents as previous years, a special chapter with a short outline of the economic situation in the Nordic countries as whole, and a chapter of the situation in every single country.

The Baltic Investment Programme was first launched for the period 1992-1995. It was then extended for another period, 1995-1998. In 1998 it was decided to let the programme come to a gradual end in 2003, the year before the three Baltic countries became members of the European Union. The main purpose of the programme was to promote the development of small and medium sized enterprises in the private sector as an important vehicle for economic growth and employment, as well as assisting the development of a commercial financial sector by establishing a national investment banks in each of the three countries. The report tells the story leading up to the agreement with the Baltic countries on the Baltic Investment Programme. It then goes on explaining the various phases in the development of the Programme, the tasks of the institution and the finances, how the institutions used the resources provided by the Programme. Some of the important sub-p rogrammes are explained in more detail. Finally, in the last chapter an assessment of the Programme is given.

The Nordic Economic Policy Review – NEPR – is published by the Nordic Council of Ministers and addresses policy issues in a way that is useful for in-formed non-specialists as well as for professional economists. All articles are commissioned from leading professional economists and are subject to peer review prior to publication. The review appears twice a year. It is published electronically on the website of the Nordic Council of Ministers: www.norden.org/en. On that website, you can also order paper copies of the Review (enter the name of the Review in the search field, and you will find all the information you need). Managing Editor: Professor Torben M. Andersen, Department of Economics, University of Aarhus, Denmark. Special Editors for this volume: Research Professor Erling Barth, Institute for Social Research, Oslo, Norway and Professor Kalle O. Moene, Department of Economics, University of Oslo, Norway.

Under det svenska ordförandeskapet i Nordiska ministerrådet år 2013 har Sverige fördjupat det nordiska regeringssamarbetet kring några av de stora framtidsutmaningar som är gemensamma för Norden. En viktig framtidsutmaning är att få fler unga i arbete. Ungdomsarbetslösheten är en utmaning för samtliga nordiska länder, men erfarenheterna och åtgärderna skiljer sig åt. Under ordförandeskapsåret har det därför skett ett brett kunskapsutbyte mellan de nordiska länderna om hur ungdomars inträde i arbetslivet kan underlättas. En del i kunskapsutbytet om ungas arbetsmarknadssituation skedde under ett nordiskt arbetsmarknadsmöte den 16 maj 2013 i Stockholm. Vid mötet utbytte bl.a. de nordiska stats- och arbetsmarknadsministrarna erfarenheter och diskuterade ungdomars situation på arbetsmarknaden. Inför erfarenh etsutbytet på mötet togs ett statistiskt jämförande översiktsunderlag över ungas situation på arbetsmarkanden i de nordiska länderna fram. Denna rapport bygger på det bakgrundsmaterialet och i rapporten redovisas figurerna och tabeller.

Þrátt fyrir að stjórnmálamenn hafi beitt sér fyrir sjálfbærari lífsháttum um 20 ára skeið eykst efnisleg neysla stöðugt á Norðurlöndum. Vilji er hjá þjóðunum til að vera í fararbroddi um sjálfbæra samfélagsþróun en ljóst er að núverandi neyslustefna gæti verið árangursríkari. Fyrir því geta verið ýmsar ástæður og eru nokkrar þeirra reifaðar í riti þessu, þar á meðal sjálfsákvörðunarréttur neytenda, skortur á stjórntækjum og eins að stjórnmálamenn skortir áræðni til hrófla við málefnum neytenda. Einkum meðal stjórnmálamanna gætir þráláts misskilnings – goðsagna – um neytendahegðun og sjálfbæra neyslu. Hér er greint frá 10 goðsögnum um breytingar í átt til sjálfbærra lífshátta sem hafa orðið þess valdandi að ráðamenn hafa einblínt á tækninýjungar og aukna framleiðni. Goðsagnirnar tíu hafa hamlað félagslegri nýsköpun og komið í veg fyrir nýstárlega verðmætasköpun og sjálfbæra auðlindanýtingu.

Trots 20 års politikutveckling för hållbar konsumtion (UNCED 1992), fortsätter den materiella konsumtionen och miljöpåverkan att öka i Norden och Europa. Det är orealistiskt att förvänta sig att ett hållbart samhälle ska komma till stånd utifrån nuvarande politiska strategier. De förändringar som ska till är betydande och forskningen som använts för denna studie visar att beslutsfattarna har en uppsjö av möjligheter att skapa positiva förändringar. Målet med denna studie är att skingra myter som motarbetar hållbarhet genom att lägga fram kunskap om konsumentbeteende för att främja effektiv policy i Norden. Denna studie använder sig av kunskapsförmedlings-konceptet som utgångspunkt. Forskningsresultaten har strukurererats kring konsumentbeteende och hållbar konsumtion med målet att undanröja myter och göra bevisen mer åtkomliga för vår publik. Varje avsnitt belyser och kommunicerar forskningens politiska betydelse med utgångspunkt från flera olika ämnesområden. I stället för att sprida resultaten som ett fullbordat faktum i slutet av projektet, används studien som en språngbräda för dialog med beslutsfattare och andra intressenter genom intervjuer, fokusgrupper och webbseminarier.

På trods af 20 års politisk indsats for en bæredygtigt livsstil fortsætter det materielle forbrug med at stige i Norden, hvor det er en ambition at være førende i bæredygtig samfundsudvikling. Det står klart, at den nuværende forbrugerpolitik ikke er så effektiv, som den kan være. Dette policy papir giver en række grunde til dette, lige fra forbrugernes selvbestemmelsesret, manglen på politiske instrumenter og til manglen på politisk mod til at involvere sig i forbrugerspørgsmål. Der eksisterer især i de politiske cirkeler nogle vedvarende misforståelser – myter – om forbrugeradfærd og bæredygtigt forbrug. Dette policy brief beskriver 10 myter om omstilling til en bæredygtig livsstil, der indtil nu har fastholdt beslutningstagerne i et fokus på teknologisk innovation og produkteffektivitet. 10 myter der indtil nu har forhindret at social innovation, nye alternative modeller for værdiskabelse, og at normer for et rimeligt forbrug har fået den nødvendige opmærksomhed.

This report explores the urgent question of how to transition to a green economy. If the price of pollution becomes the same as the price to not pollute, i.e. the investment required for a non-polluting solution, could market forces be harnessed to create a totally green economy? Would the consumer lead the way if pollution fees were simply credited into everyone’s account? Would economic growth and technical development forge ahead? Taking the flexible fee mechanism proposed by Höglund as a starting point, the report examines the academic literature and presents the results of a workshop where leading Swedish economists and environmentalists examine the issues involved in price discovery mechanisms and call for further developments in this field.

The emergence of the ecosystem services concept suggests that economic valuation studies are already fulfilling a role in raising awareness by demonstrating the loss of nature’s goods and services using monetary indicators. In order to have future relevance in capturing value and giving support to policy-makers, valuation methods must specifically address resource accounting, priority setting, and instrument design. This report provides an overview of economic valuation methods of ecosystem services from watersheds in the Nordic countries. The study was commissioned by the Nordic Council of Ministers and conducted by The Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, The Norwegian Institute of Water Research and Sweco Norge during the period May – November 2011. The study indicates that economic valuation methods can be applied to watershed management in multiple ways. However, policy makers should be wary of “one size fits all” valuation estimates that appear ready to use across different watershed types and stakeholder interests.

This report contains the results of a scoping study on the potential for mainstreaming green public procurement in the Nordic countries. The report gives recommendations on how green public procurement can be better integrated in other policy areas. The study was financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Working group on Sustainable Consumption and Production.

Ekonomiska utsikter i Norden år 2011 är den nordiska konjunkturgruppens redogörelse för den ekonomiska situationen i de nordiska länderna hösten 2010. Rapporten innehåller i likhet med tidigare års rapporter dels ett särskilt kapitel med en översikt över den ekonomiska situationen i de nordiska länderna samt kapitel om situationen i varje enskilt nordiskt land.

The Nordic Council of Ministers appointed, via the Globalization Initiative, the Nordic finance ministers to launch a joint Nordic project regarding the international carbon market. The purpose of the project was to identify and exchange Nordic experiences from the Joint Implementation and Clean Development Mechanism credit market as well as to discuss prospects for future cooperation. The result of the project is presented in three reports from workshops held during 2010, as well as this synthesis report that summarizes previous reports. The project was initiated in light of the expected negotiations on the future mechanisms after 2012 in COP 15, including as input for discussions on opportunities and prospects for participation in a future carbon market. The results have been presented at the meetings of the Nordic Council of Energy, Environment and Finance ministers during October and November 2010.

The Nordic Economic Policy Review – NEPR – is published by the Nordic Council of Ministers and addresses policy issues in a way that is useful for informed non-specialists as well as for professional economists. All articles are commissioned from leading professional economists and are subject to peer review prior to publication. The Nordic Economic Policy Review is published twice a year. The journal is distributed free of charge to members of the Nordic economic associations. The easiest way of subscribing to the NEPR is therefore to become a member of one of these associations, i.e., Denmark: Nationaløkonomisk Forening Finland: Taloustieteellinen Yhdistys Norway: Samfunnsøkonomene Sweden: Nationalekonomiska Föreningen For institutional subscriptions, please contact nepr@iies.su.se Content: Introduction - Lars Calmfors and Bertil Holmlund Youth unemployment in Europe and the United States: David N.F. Bell and David G. Blanchflower. Comment by Oskar Nordström Skans Employment consequences of employment protection legislation - Per Skedinger. Comment by Assar Lindbeck Business cycle contingent unemployment insurance - Torben M. Andersen and Michael Svarer. Comment by Erik Höglin Is short-time work a good method to keep unemployment down? - Pierre Cahuc and Stéphane Carcillo. Comment by Ann-Sofie Kolm What active labor market policy works in a recession? - Anders Forslund, Peter Fredriksson and Johan Vikström. Comment by Clas Olsson Regular education as a tool of counter-cyclical employment policy - Christopher Pissarides. Comment by Björn Öckert

Norden 2030: De fem nordiska länderna har smält ihop till en förenad politisk federation – Förbundsstaten Norden. Den nya förbundsstaten är med sin gemensamma författning, sitt gemensamma styre och med sina 25 miljoner invånare, en helt ny och tung aktör på den europeiska scenen. Om länderna har modet till det. Den kontroversiella samhällsdebattören och historikern, Gunnar Wetterberg argumenterar sakligt och precist över en ny nordisk förbundsstat. En reell federation med ansvar för utrikes- och säkerhetspolitiken, de finanspolitiska ramarna och alla centrala områden inom lagstiftningens huvudområden från invandringen till socialpolitiken. Gunnar Wetterberg blåste förra året nytt liv i debatten om en pånyttfödelse av Kalmarunionen. Diskussionen var både känslomässig och kraftfull och nådde ända till Tyskland, Spanien och Italien. I Nordiska rådets och Nordiska ministerrådets årsbok 2010 utvecklar Wetterberg nu sin vision om Förbundsstaten Norden. Med sina politisktytterst kontroversiella förslag förväntas författaren att åter skapa debatt i de fem nordiska länderna.

Rapporten "Samfundsøkonomisk afkast af pelagiske fiskerier i Nordøstatlanten" er den mest gennemgribende analyse af det pelagiske fiskeris samfundsøkonomiske afkast indtil videre. Den pelagiske flåde i studiet består af 180 store skibe hjemmehørende i 6 lande. Det samfundsøkonomiske afkast udregnes for hver national flådegruppe. Endvidere estimesres det maksimale samfundsmæssige afkast med en økonomisk bedre fiskeriforvaltning. Afslutningsvis ses på, hvordan det aktuelle samfundsmæssige afkast bliver fordelt i landene mellem rederier, mandskab og samfund. Rapporten er et godt grundlag for diskussion om, hvordan fiskeriforvaltning generelt kan forbedres til samfunets gavn i de enkelte lande. Den danner endvidere gundlag for diskussion af det enkelte lands egen forvaltning sammenlignet med de andres. Ikke mindst er rapporten uundværlig i drøftelser af fordelingen af det samfundsøkonomiske afkast og hvem der bør få del i afkastet fra samfundets ejendom!

A review study of the impacts of the economic crisis on the environment and environmental policy in Nordic countries indicates that the short run economic slowdown translates into a levelling or decline of various emissions in the Nordic countries. The extent of greenhouse gas emission reductions vary by countries' economic structures. Some other emissions, e.g. of sulphur dioxide, have not been affected by the crisis. In general, emissions curtailed by well established policies, appear to have been extensively decoupled from economic growth. In contrast, emissions for which policy is still evolving, such as for climate mitigation, seem more sensitive to variations in economic growth. Effective decoupling is essential to the sustained fulfilment of environmental objectives. Long term effects of the economic crisis are threatening. In the absence of new policy initiatives, the reduced need and investment capability will slowdown the renewal of production capacities and structures. In due course, also environmental R&D efforts may decelerate and postpone eco-efficient innovations. Considering the strains on public budgets, creative policy solutions need to be found. Green, as other stimulus applied in response to the crisis, cannot be sustained for long. Though the effectiveness of some efforts may be doubtful, the idea of a green transformation in society and the economy is vital for sustained efforts and achievement of goals. The vigorously growing economies in Asia and Latin America offer significant export potential for environmental innovations. Such technology transfers are indispensable for the achievement of global climate policy objectives. Export success, however, frequently requires proven performance. Hence, Nordic innovation policies should promote joint demonstration projects to overcome small home market size. Despite their progress in the greening of the fiscal system, Nordic countries maintain considerable scope in (fossil) energy and natural resource use taxes, and environmentally harmful subsidies. New incentives such as feebates and tradable certificate systems also merit consideration. Moreover, emerging systems for tailored monitoring and feedback systems for companies and households regarding energy use, transport performance, and embodied emissions, can address untapped potential at moderate costs. The report has been commissioned by the Working Group on Environment and Economics under the Nordic Council of Ministers. The study was conducted by the Government Institute for Economic Research (VATT) in Helsinki.

Green Public Procurement (GPP) can play a significant a role in efforts to influence the private sector towards more sustainable products and services. Following an account of the environmental impact of Nordic public procurement, the project provides an assessment of the potential of strengthening GPP within three key product groups in Nordic public procurement: Taxi and coach services, Computers and related services, and Cleaning products. The analyses show that compared to traditional regulatory instruments GPP tends to be more soft and dynamic - but also slower and less comprehensive. A decision model for GPP is developed. Two cases illustrate the potential benefits of GPP: Procurement of a new server centre in the City of Copenhagen, and procurement of transportation for disabled and elderly people in the City of Stockholm. Conclusions and recommendations on how to strengthen the benefits of GPP are provided. The study has been initiated and supervised by The Working Group on Environment and Economics under the Nordic Council of Ministries.

The Nordic Economic Policy Review is published by the Nordic Council of Ministers and addresses policy issues in a way that is useful for informed non-specialists as well as for professional economists. All articles are commissioned from leading professional economists and are subject to peer review prior to publication. The Nordic Economic Policy Review is published twice a year. The journal is distributed free of charge to members of the Nordic economic associations. The easiest way of subscribing to the NEPR is therefore to become a member of one of these associations, i.e., Denmark: Nationaløkonomisk Forening Finland: Taloustieteellinen Yhdistys Norway: Samfunnsøkonomene Sweden: Nationalekonomiska Föreningen For institutional subscriptions, please contact nepr@iies.su.se Content: Introduction: Fiscal consequences of the crisis - Torben M. Andersen and Steinar Holden. Some lessons for fiscal policy from the financial crisis - Philip R. Lane. Fiscal policy and macroeconomic stability: New evidence and policy implications - Xavier Debrun and Radhicka Kapoor. Fiscal sustainability in the wake of the financial crisis - Torben M. Andersen. Fiscal policy and labor markets at times of public debt - Giuseppe Bertola. Fiscal costs of financial sector support: Measures and implications for fiscal policy - Daehaeng Kim and Manmohan S. Kumar. Monetary implications of the crisis: Dominance at stake - Charles Wyplosz. The Swedish fiscal policy framework - Robert Boije, Albin Kainelainen and Jonas Norlin.

Free access to pdf files and the Nordic statistical database below. Nordic Statistical Yearbook 2010 is published for the 48th time. It is a reference book containing comprehensive and easily accessible statistics of various aspects of social life in the five Nordic countries, i.e. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. In addition data are also presented on the selfgoverning regions, i.e. the Faroe Islands, Greenland and the Åland Islands. The aim of the yearbook is, as far as possible, to present comparable data on the Nordic countries. Additional tables can be found free of charge on our homepage. Here It is also possible to read and download the Nordic Statistical Yearbook in pdf format free of charge. Nordisk statistisk årsbok utkommer nu för 48:e gången. Årsboken är en uppslagsbok, som avser vara en sammanfattande och överskådlig redovisning av statistik över samhällsförhållandena i de fem nordiska länderna Danmark, Finland, Island, Norge och Sverige. I många av tabellerna redovisas också uppgifter om de självstyrande områdena Färöarna, Grönland och Åland. Syftet med årsboken är att lägga fram sinsemellan jämförbara uppgifter om de nordiska länderna. Ytterligare tabeller finns tillgängliga gratis på vår hemsida. Här är det också möjligt att kostnadsfritt läsa och ladda ner boken i pdf-format

Ekonomiska utsikter i Norden år 2010 är den nordiska konjunkturgruppens redogörelse för den ekonomiska situationen i de nordiska länderna hösten 2009. Rapporten innehåller i likhet med tidigare års rapporter dels ett särskilt kapitel med en översikt över den ekonomiska situationen i de nordiska länderna samt kapitel om situationen i varje enskilt nordiskt land.

There is increasing public, media and policy interest in the concepts of carbon footprints and the emissions associated with international trade. Many wonder if our growing consumption of imported products offsets our gains in climate policy. A variety of publications suggest that emission reductions in rich countries are offset by increased imports, i.e. our national carbon footprint is growing while our territorial emissions are getting smaller. Some refute this claim stating that the methods and data are unreliable, while others acknowledge the issue but argue it is not important for climate policy. This report aims to dispel some myths about carbon footprints and trade-adjusted emission inventories. A review of studies finds large variations between studies of the Nordic countries, but closer inspection shows that many of the variations are due to inconsistent definitions and non-comparable methods. Calculations using a consistent global model provide updated estimates for the Nordic countries in 1997, 2001, and 2004. A general observation for the Nordic countries is that the overall carbon footprint is larger than territorial based emissions, and that the difference is increasing. Further we also observe an increase in the total carbon footprint from 2001 to 2004. This stresses the need for policy makers to track the cause-effect chains between consumption and production to understand and mitigate potential carbon leakage. The study was carried out by researchers from CICERO and MiSA and was financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers.

De ojämnt fördelade familjeledigheterna har sitt pris. Unga kvinnor och män har ofta helt olika förutsättningar vid en anställningssituation. Dessutom händer det fortfarande att man på arbetsplatsen förhåller sig negativt till män som tar ut en längre familjeledighet. Vilka lösningar finns det på detta problem? Hur kan man uppmuntra papporna att ta ut mer familjeledighet? Hur har de nordiska ländernas olika familjeledighetslösningar påverkat jämställdheten mellan kvinnor och män? Som en del av Finlands ordförandeskapsprogram för det Nordiska ministerrådet ordnades i Helsingfors 21.11.2007 en jämställdhetskonferens om familjeledigheter och kostnaderna som de innebär. I konferensen Priset på att få barn - kostnader för familjeledighet och jämställdhet, som ordnades av Nordiska ministerrådet och Social- och hälsovårdsministeriet, deltog experter, politiker och tjänstemän från alla de nordiska länderna. Vid konferensen presenterades de nordiska ländernas olika lösningar för att uppnå ett jämlikare utnyttjande av familjeledigheterna och kunna fördela kostnaderna jämnare. Utöver arbetsgivarkostnaderna granskades även vad de ojämnt utnyttjade familjeledigheterna innebär för välfärdssamhället, för den enskilda individen samt för familjerna. Under seminariet framträdde två olika perspektiv: för det första, kvinnans roll i arbetslivet och, för det andra, mannens roll i familjen. Man kunde enas om att pappornas andel av familjeledigheterna bör ökas för att man skall kunna möta utmaningarna. När det gäller lösningar var den stora frågan huruvida man ska använda sig av piska eller morot - d.v.s. tvång eller positiva incitament. I den här frågan har länderna valt olika lösningar. De Nordiska familjeledighetssystemen skiljer sig bland annat när det gäller hur långa och flexibla ledigheterna är, när de infaller, hur de finansieras och hur höga ersättningsnivåerna är. De skiljer sig också i fråga om hur tydliga systemen är för de inblandade och hur långa ledighetsperioder som reserverats för papporna. Under konferensens gång kom det även fram att jämställdhetspolitiken och familjepolitiken inte alltid går hand i hand när det gäller familjeledighetsfrågor. Detta innebär speciella utmaningar för ett utvecklande av familjeledigheterna. Under diskussionens gång kunde man dock även konstatera, att framsteg inom jämställdhet mellan könen på lång sikt är till fördel för barnen, familjerna samt för arbetsmarknaden. I denna rapport presenteras de anföranden som hölls under konferensen samt ges en sammanfattning av diskussionerna.

This report investigates the potential for increased use of economic instruments, not the least taxes and charges, in chemcials policy. It provides a conceptual discussion of the role of different market-based instruments in controlling pollution based on chemicals production and use, and outlines a comprehensive overview and analysis of the European experiences of taxes and charges in chemicals policy during the last decades. A final chapter evaluates a set of carefully selected economic instruments targeted at specific chemical compounds and products. The cases have been chosen so as to illustrate different types of challenges in relying more extensively on economic instruments in chemicals policy, and they include the use of: (a) different types of two-stroke oils, (b) the substance nonylphenol (NP) and its ethoxylates (NPEs), which break down into NPs, and (c) ethylene glycol. The report has been commissioned by the Working Group on Environment and Economics under the Nordic Council of Ministers.

This report examines how the market has developed the last years, which sports nutrition products are offered the organisation of market participants, and analyzed how the market can be expected to develop in the future. The market has expanded in total sales, in product groups, products within each product group and in the number of suppliers. The increased availability makes the products more visible and can therefore attract user groups that have not traditionally been familiar with these products. The market has expanded reaching more consumer segments at the same times as sports nutrition products have become more specialised. For example one can find specialized products for different sports, and more products especially designed for women. Also the number of brands in the market has increased.

Payment for ecosystem services (PES) is a type of environmental policy instrument that gives the owner of a natural resource direct incentives to manage it in society's best interest. The report provides an overview of current theory and experiences from the use of PES. Several examples of PES already exist in the Nordic countries, most of which aim to preserve biodiversity or reduce nutrient runoff. The report shows that there is scope both to improve and expand the use of PES in the Nordic countries. Targeted and differentiated payments, for example by using competitive tendering where land owners have to reveal their compensation levels and ecosystem services they can offer, is a promising approach. The use of PES may also be expanded, for example into areas where regulation traditionally is perceived as very negative by land owners, or used in combination with existing regulation. The report was commissioned by the Working Group on Environment and Economics under the Nordic Council of Ministers

In the third trading period (2013-2020) of EU ETS, around two thirds of the total European wide allocation will be auctioned on average. Allowances for auctioning will be allocated among the Member States according to a predefined formula. In order to prevent carbon leakage, i.e. migration of EU industries to other areas to avoid carbon costs, industries found to be exposed to high cost increases or industries with high trade intensity will still get free allowances, according to industry benchmarks. Free allocation reduces the number of allowances to be auctioned. The list of Industry sectors to be entitled to receive free allowances is going to be finally decided by the end of 2009. The report discusses the impact of allocation of free allowance for each of the Nordic countries, both in terms of free allocation to national industries and in terms of auctioning volume. Auctioning of emission allowances creates substantial revenues for the individual Member State. The EU ETS directive recommends that an amount equivalent to half of the income is earmarked for measures to combat climate change. The Nordic countries already spend more on climate combat than the recommendations require.

The Nordic Council of Ministers publishes regular overview reports on the use of economic instruments in Nordic environmental policy. In this report, Part I presents an overview of the use of economic instruments with the main focus on changes during the years 2006 - 2009. Part II gives a brief overview of mixes of policy instruments (also other than economic instruments) and presents two case studies. There are generally few changes in the use of economic instruments since 2006, except for the introduction of the emissions trading system, EU ETS, and changes in vehicle registration tax systems to become more based on specific fuel use or CO2 emissions. In general, the tax systems could be made more effective and efficient by treating different sectors and fuels more equally.

There is a large and growing literature focusing on economic issues related to climate change and climate policies. This report presents a discussion of some of the recent studies. The focus is on various numerical analyses and not on the purely theoretical studies. The following questions are discussed in the report: What will the development of greenhouse gas emissions be and what climate changes will follow if no new policies are introduced? What can economic analyses tell us about climate policy goals? What are the costs of reducing emissions? What types of policies should be used to reduce emissions? Knowledge about these issues is important for governments when evaluating their own climate policies as well as climate policies of other countries. It is also important for evaluating potential future climate agreements. This report has been commissioned by the Working Group on Environment and Economics under the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Två centrala förändringar i den internationella ekonomin är potentiellt betydelsefulla ur ett nordiskt arbetsmarknadsperspektiv: utvidgningen av EU till att omfatta de tidigare planekonomierna i central- och öst-Europa och integrationen av de stora och starkt växande ekonomierna i öst-Asien. En annan ändring som samtidigt ägt rum är den ökade fragmenteringen av företagens värdekedjor som inneburit en snabbt växande handel med mellanprodukter. Det saknas inte bud på hur dessa utvecklingsförlopp påverkar arbetsmarknaden, här finns hela spektret från mycket dystra hotbilder till rosenröda skönmålerier. I denna rapport ges en översikt av det forskningsbaserade kunskapsläget rörande effekterna av internationaliseringen på sysselsättning, arbetskraftsefterfrågans struktur samt löner. Vidare sammanfattar den centrala resultat från ett projektet "Internationaliseringen av de nordiska arbetsmarknaderna och dess konsekvenser för arbetskraftsefterfrågan" som mera specifikt ser på vilka konsekvenserna har varit i de nordiska länderna. Rapporten behandlar emellertid inte enbart vad som sker med sysselsättning och löner som en konsekvens av utflyttning av produktion och andra aktiviteter till andra länder men även hur de nordiska arbetsmarknaderna påverkats av att de också internationaliseras via ett starkt växande utländskt ägande av näringslivet. Några eksempel på frågor denna tendens aktualiserar är: Innebär den ökade internationaliseringen på hemmaplan högre löner, större löneskillander, ökad osäkerhet i anställningarna, att också de inhemska företagen blir mera produktiva?

Natural resources and political priorities have formed the energy sector through the last century. Especially the development of grid-dependent energies such as electricity, district heat, and natural gas has been driven by central planning and heavily influenced by political priorities and the endowment of domestic energy resources. Large natural resources of geothermal energy and hydropower made it natural to include these resources in the fuel mix in some of the Nordic countries. The widespread use of fossil fuels in power generation in Denmark and Finland implies that the environmental effects in terms of green house gas emissions from electricity supply are much larger in these countries than in the other Nordic countries. The Nordic countries have applied energy-related taxes and subsidies to renewable energy sources for decades in order to impact the use of energy and hence the CO2 emissions as well. Energy taxes and emission trading schemes imply increased prices and a reduction in demand depending on price elasticities, technology improvements, and the availability of cost-efficient emission reductions options. Demand for electricity in the Nordic countries is not very price elastic in the short-run, but the emission level can nevertheless be affected by energy taxes due to an overall long-run increase in energy prices and prices of energy-intensive goods via higher production costs.

Rapporten ger en kunskapsöversikt om omfattningen och utvecklingen av arbetskraftens rörlighet inom Norden men belyser även de ekonomiska effekterna av rörligheten. Till skillnad från de flesta tidigare studier på området belyses särskilt omfattningen av pendling mellan de nordiska länderna, men migration berörs även bitvis. Rapporten är utarbetad på uppdrag av de nordiska finansministrarna.

This report aims at exploring legal requirements to include environmental information in annual reports as an important driver for companies' focus on environmental matters and to identify ways of improving companies' reporting of environmental information in their annual reports. All Nordic countries, except Iceland, have legal requirements to disclose environmental information in the annual report. Supplementary non-legally required reports such as environmental reports and sustainability reports are not included in this study. The data for the report were collected from Ultimo 2006 through June 2007. This Report has been prepared for the NMR-IPP Group under the Nordic Council of Ministers by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

This report explores the social, economic, environmental and health benefits that can be achieved through sound management of chemicals. The report presents a series of case studies of initiatives to improve chemicals management in developing countries or economies in transition. The case studies examine national legislative initiatives as well as on-the-ground projects to educate firms about cleaner production options. It is also looked at the role of bilateral and multilateral development assistance in facilitating adoption of sound chemicals management systems. The report was issued as a draft prior to the adoption of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) by the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM) in February 2006 and has been amended according to inputs after that event.

Nordic Statistical Yearbook 2008 is published for the 46th time. It is a reference book containing comprehensive and easily accessible statistics of various aspects of social life in the five Nordic countries, i.e. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. In addition data are also presented on the selfgoverning regions, i.e. the Faroe Islands, Greenland and the Åland Islands. The aim of the yearbook is, as far as possible, to present comparable data on the Nordic countries. Additional tables can be found free of charge on our homepage. Nordisk statistisk årsbok utkommer nu för 46:e gången. Årsboken är en uppslagsbok, som avser vara en sammanfattande och överskådlig redovisning av statistik över samhällsförhållandena i de fem nordiska länderna Danmark, Finland, Island, Norge och Sverige. I många av tabellerna redovisas också uppgifter om de självstyrande områdena Färöarna, Grönland och Åland. Syftet med årsboken är att lägga fram sinsemellan jämförbara uppgifter om de nordiska länderna. Ytterligare tabeller finns tillgängliga gratis på vår hemsida.

Directive 2003/87/EC established a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading, the EU ETS (European Union Emission Trading Scheme). In connection with the review of the Directive, called for in Article 30, the European Commission has published a communication report (COM(2006)676) raising some issues that should be included in the review. This report contains an overview analysis of these issues. The main focus is on issues related to the participation of small installations, but several other issues are also discussed.

The EU Commissions is currently review the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Three are of special interest for the Nordic countries: auctioning of emissions allowances, simplification of the rules for small installations, and the exclusion of certain small installations from the scope of the EU ETS, on the ground of excessive administrative costs. In the Nordic countries the thresholds for participation in the EU ETS would exclude primarily heat stations from the EU ETS. In several other industries, significant numbers of installations would be also excluded from the scheme, and this could lead to negative impacts on competition.The results of conducted survey show that costs for participating in the EU ETS vary in a large range. Most of the costs are not proportional to the size of the emission or the size of the allocation, why participating in the EU ETS is particularly burdensome for small emitters.We have explored possibilities to reduce the administrative cost by treating district heating network as one single installation and/or by utilizing pooling. Analysis shows that efforts cannot be reduced by changing the definition of an installation in the Emissions Trading Directive or by treating district heating network as single large installation instead of multiple small installations. In some cases, the change of definition could create new problems, because it would force some companies to act under a similar kind of procedure than pooling.

Ekonomiska utsikter i Norden år 2007 är den nordiska konjunkturgruppens redogörelse för den ekonomiska situationen i de nordiska länderna hösten 2006. Rapporten innehåller i likhet med tidigare års rapporter dels ett särskilt kapitel med en översikt över den ekonomiska situationen i de nordiska länderna samt kapitel om situationen i varje enskilt nordiskt land.

Cost-benefit analysis is a recognised decision support tool with increasing importance in policy making. This publication is a proposal for a stat-of-the-art guideline for cost-benefit analysis in the waste management sector. One of the aims is to provide insight in life cycle assessment in order to improve the system analysis and the assessment of environmental effects in a cost-benefit analysis, thus combining key elements from these two decision support tools.