The right of citizens of the Nordic Countries to move freely from one country to another is a time-honoured principle of Nordic cooperation. However, individual immigrants often confront unexpected problems. Migrants within the Nordic region continue to encounter difficulties in all areas of life, including education, care for the elderly, equivalency of academic degrees, personal identity numbers, and even the cross-border transport of medicines.

   

The problems linked with immigration are familiar to many Nordic citizens, because each year about 40,000 people move from one of the five countries to another.

   

The Finnish ambassador to Norway, Ole Norrback, has completed work on a report on the problem. He drafted the report at the request of the Nordic Council of ministers, with the help of an extensive panel of experts.

Helsingin Sanomat has learned

that Norrback has made a number of proposals for improvements.

   

Norrback proposes that all Nordic agreements be compiled in a single database that both officials and the public at large would have access to. The data should also include explanations of how European Union legislation affects the Nordic agreements.

One of the most familiar

problems involves personal identity numbers. For instance, a Finn who moves to Sweden or Norway might have to wait several weeks before getting a personal identity number for the new country; before that he or she cannot open a bank account, and without a bank account, a new immigrant is not able to rent an apartment.

   

Norrback proposes that by the end of 2003 the personal identity number of one country should be valid in all of the other Nordic Countries.

   

There is also a danger of falling outside the social safety net when moving from one Nordic Country to another.

   

Cars can also be a problem. A Swede who moves to Norway has to file a report on his or her income and use of the car over the previous five years, after which there is a wait of several months before the car can officially be brought into the country.

   

Norrback proposes a Nordic harmonisation of car taxation in 2003, while leaving certain other fees up to the discretion of the country in question.

Some jobs are restricted

to citizens of the country in question. For instance, one otherwise competent applicant for a post as the treasurer of a Finnish church parish was not given the job even though he had lived in Finland for six years, because Finnish citizenship was set as a precondition of employment. Norrback says that during 2003 more flexibility should be added to the system.

   

There are also considerable problems in the equivalency of academic degrees. For instance, a Swedish psychologist and psychotherapist is allowed to work in Finland as a psychologist, but not as a therapist.

   

Other causes for complaint among new Nordic immigrants included an overall lack of information, banking problems, children, taxation, the position of those living near a national border, who live in one country and work in the other, regulations concerning pets, citizenship issues, pensions, travel with medicines, applying for work, and customs regulations.