Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8)

Context

Recently the eight Nordic-Baltic countries (NB8) participated in the Raisina Dialogue held in New Delhi.

Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8)

• The NB8 is a nearby cooperation layout that brings together the Nordic countries and the Baltic states.
• Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden (Nordic countries),

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania (Baltic states)

• Nordic countries are members of the European Union (except Iceland and Norway which might be members of EFTA).
• These countries are related geographically and share deep historical, social, economic, and cultural ties.

Importance of NB8

• They constitute advanced economies which are outward-searching, innovation-driven, complementary, and absolutely integrated into the sector’s largest single market area, the European Common Market.
• The Baltic countries are leaders in IT, digitization and cyber and green technology.
• These countries proportion a dedication to democracy and human rights, and are all champions of an international order based totally on multilateralism and international law.

NB8 and India

• India’s engagement with NB8 nations is expanding which includes the India-Denmark Green Strategic Partnership, India-Norway Task Force on Blue Economy, Sustainability and ICT cooperation with Finland, ‘LeadIT’ (Leadership for Industry Transition) initiative with Sweden.
• The cooperation with them spans fields as many as innovation, green transition, maritime, health, highbrow assets rights, new technologies, area cooperation, and artificial intelligence.
• Trade and funding figures between the NB8 region and India are regularly growing.
• The safety of the Nordic-Baltic area and the Indo-Pacific is interlinked.

About Raisina Dialogue

• • It is a multilateral conference dedicated to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global network. 
  • Every year, global leaders in policy, business, media and civil society are hosted in New Delhi to speak about cooperation on an extensive range of pertinent worldwide coverage matters.
  • The Dialogue is dependent as a multi-stakeholder, pass-sectoral dialogue, related to heads of kingdom, cabinet ministers and neighborhood government officials, in addition to major non-public region executives, members of the media and academics.
  • The convention is hosted with the aid of the Observer Research Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

• Observer Research Foundation

• • It is an impartial think tank primarily based in New Delhi with 3 centres in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.
  • It seeks to steer and resource coverage thinking closer to building a strong and prosperous India in a fair and equitable world and helps discover and inform India’s choices. It carries Indian voices and ideas to forums shaping global debates.
  • It affords non-partisan, independent, properly-researched analyses and inputs to numerous selection-makers in governments, business communities, and academia and civil society around the sector.

Source: The Hindu

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Q.What are the Nordic-Baltic countries? What are the current fields of cooperation of Nordic-Baltic countries with India?

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