According to AbbreviationFinder, NC stands for Nordic Council.
Mass media
Ever since the 1970’s, the Nordic Council and the Council of Ministers have tried to expand Nordic TV and radio co-operation. Problems of a purely technical nature have been involved for decades, but nowadays technological development, mainly through cable networks, has made it possible for northerners to see each other’s programs.
A new element is new ownership in the mass media industry, mainly Norwegian Schibstedt’s acquisition of Svenska Dagbladet and Aftonbladet and the Swedish ownership in Finnish Alma-Media, which in turn buys into Baltic news companies.
In the early 1980’s, the large-scale TV satellite collaboration NORDSAT went to the grave after years of investigation. Opposition to the project came mainly from the Nordic cultural workers, who feared that increased TV broadcasts would lead to fewer jobs. There was also fear of tarnishing the cultural offerings and of too strong a dominance of American entertainment programs. Denmark used the argument that the cost would be too high and dropped the co – operation in 1982.
The plans for pan-Nordic TV broadcasts via the Tele-X satellite also came to naught after a short trial period. A new unsuccessful attempt to speed up Nordic TV co-operation was made by Prime Minister Carl Bildt in 1991–1994. The Nordstjärnan project would broadcast advertising-financed programs on a joint Nordic satellite TV channel. Since then, the initiative for pan-Nordic TV broadcasts has been transferred to the largest cable TV companies in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
Since the 1950’s, there has been a program exchange between the Nordic TV companies, which today have co-production on major projects.
Education and research
The Nordic Council has taken several initiatives to expand co-operation in higher education. Through the exchange program NORDPLUS from 1987, students can receive financial support to study at universities and colleges in another Nordic country.
Every year, a couple of thousand students complete part of their education at a university in another Nordic country. Since 1994, Nordic students have had the right to apply for education in other Nordic countries and compete for study places on the same terms as the country’s own students. This special treatment of northerners may disappear with the liberalization of rules that is taking place within the EU and the UN agency Unesco. In 2008, NORDPLUS was also made available to Baltic students.
Nordic universities and colleges have long been in close contact. Under the Council of Ministers, about 30 institutions operate for increased exchange between researchers. Primary and secondary schools have student and teacher exchanges. In 1989, the pan-Nordic data network NORDUNET was opened as the first Internet system outside the United States.
Environment
The environment belongs to the priority areas of cooperation and has been a permanent feature of the Council’s work since the late 1970’s. One result of this is the Nordic Ecolabel, the Nordic Ecolabel.
According to the Nordic Environmental Protection Convention from 1974, countries have the right to have views on the establishment of environmentally hazardous activities in neighboring countries. For example, in 1994 Sweden could request that the Norwegian government report the environmental effects of planned test drilling for oil in the Skagerrak.
The reactors at the Swedish nuclear power plant in Barsebäck near the Sound were taken out of operation in 1999 and 2005, respectively, after prolonged protests and pressure from Denmark, which saw the plant as a threat to nearby Copenhagen. At the same time, Finland is building new reactors and in Sweden a new, more nuclear-positive debate has begun.
However, Finnish and Baltic protests against the construction of the Öresund Bridge, albeit lame ones, had no effect on the Swedish-Danish bridge project.
The Council of Ministers establishes a Nordic environmental strategy and draws up guidelines for environmental co-operation, which are mainly conducted in working groups on the air and marine environment, chemical issues, environmental monitoring and data, nature and outdoor life, and cleaner technology. In the years 2009–2012, environmental cooperation had four themes: Climate and air, Sea and coastal zones, Biodiversity and ecosystem services, Sustainable consumption and production.
The joint ventures today focus on the Baltic Sea region. As Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers in the years 2003–2006, the Swede Per Unckel wanted to make “the Baltic Sea region a driving force for the Kyoto agreement”. The goal has since been expanded and is implemented in Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea – Baltic 21. Uncle’s successor, the Icelandic veteran politician Halldór Àsgrímsson, has retained focus on the Baltic Sea but highlights Iceland’s national interests by also focusing work on the Northwest and the Arctic.
Cooperation for sustainable development in the region now involves eleven countries, the European Commission, financial institutions, other intergovernmental organizations and voluntary organizations. An international secretariat has been established.
Environmental investments in the immediate area are prioritized in the Nordic investment bank NIB’s operations and are paid for through a capital increase by the Nordic environmental financing company NEFCO.