Enhanced Nordic-Baltic cooperation on the security of critical underwater infrastructure

“The security situation in our neighbourhood is serious. In a time of geopolitical change, robustness, resilience and redundancy in subsea communication cable systems that connect our countries is essential. This critical infrastructure is fundamental to secure our national needs for electronic communications and the day-to-day usage of digital services. We are now taking an important step by strengthening Nordic-Baltic cooperation on the issue,” says Erik Slottner, Minister for Public Administration with responsibility for digital infrastructure. 

In a joint statement, the Nordic and Baltic Ministers of Digitalisation state that underwater infrastructure for electronic communications constitute a critical infrastructure and emphasise the importance of a joint Nordic-Baltic approach in our international efforts in the EU and NATO. In addition, the ministers emphasise the importance of repair capabilities, which are essential for repairing infrastructure in the event of incidents such as accidents or sabotage. Through the joint statement, the Nordic Council of Ministers also expressed its support for the New York Joint Statement on the Security and Resilience of Undersea Cables in a Globally Digitalized World.