On 8 January 2026, the European Blind Union (EBU) participated in the annual meeting of the Nordic Cooperation Committee (Nordisk samarbetskommitté, NSK) at the Hurdal Vision and Coping Centre in Norway, marking another milestone in the longstanding collaboration between members organisations serving blind and partially sighted people in Europe.
A Century of Nordic Collaboration
The NSK, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary since its creation in 1920, brings together vision impairment organisations from five Nordic countries: Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland as well as the Swedish-speaking community from Finland. This cooperation, spanning more than a century, represents one of the oldest regional partnerships in the blindness sector, originally built to strengthen collaboration after the regional wars. It includes short and long terms working groups in areas such as youth involvement and development support in poorer countries.
The meeting took place at the Norwegian Association of the Blind's facility, beautifully situated by Lake Hurdalsjøen, approximately 50 kilometres north of Oslo. The centre serves as a training location where visually impaired people receive support in managing everyday life challenges. It was followed by a conference on employment attended by about 60 participants from Nordic organisations.
EBU Representation Despite Travel Challenges
Lars Bosselmann, EBU Executive Director, participated online after his flight was cancelled due to the severe weather conditions. EBU was therefore represented by Valérie Betrand-Vivancos, Membership Officer, who undertook a challenging 20-hour journey through snowstorms to attend in person.
Meeting Participants
The session brought together leaders from across the Nordic region, plus guides:
Norway – Norwegian Association of the Blind (NABP)
- Terje Andre Olsen, President
- Katrin Kvæl, Vice-President
- Kristin Kjæret, Adviser, International Department
Finland – Finnish Federation of the Visually Impaired (FFVI)
- Sari Kokko, Director of Organisational Affairs
- Sonja Ronkainen, Coordinator of International Affairs
Finland – Finnish Association of Swedish-speaking Visually Impaired People
- Göran Sjöstedt, Chair
- Mikael Granlund, Board Member
Iceland – Icelandic Association of the Visually Impaired (BIAVI)
- Sigþór U. Hallfreðsson, President
- Ásdís Evlalia Guðmundssóttir member of the board, also chair of Fjóla (society for the deafblind).
- Mónika Elísabet Kjartansdóttir, Communications Manager
Denmark – Danish Association of the Blind
- Diana Stentoft, Chair
- Jesper Bentil Holten, Executive Committee Member
Sweden – Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired (SRF)
- Niklas Mattsson, Chair
- Tiina Nummi Södergren, Second Vice Chair
- Cecilia Ekstrand, Advocacy Officer
Sharing EBU's Mission and Opportunities
Lars Bosselmann and Valérie Betrand-Vivancos used the morning session to remind participants of EBU's history, mission, and operational structures. They outlined various ways Nordic associations could deepen their engagement with the organisation, followed by an interactive question-and-answer session.
The presentation proved particularly valuable for understanding how regional and wider cooperation can complement each other, with participants noting the importance of being connected both locally and globally through organisations like EBU and the World Blind Union.
Voices from the Nordic Region
Following the EBU presentation, participants shared insights about what makes their Nordic cooperation valuable, offering perspectives that resonated with EBU's own mission.
Learning Across Borders
Sigþór U. Hallfreðsson from Iceland spoke about how their smallest organisation with limited capacity has benefited enormously from the cooperation. He reflected on how learning from larger organisations' experiences has influenced their work, noting that until digital aid made remote connection possible, such exchange would have been impossible. He mentioned specific examples, such as introducing guide dogs to Iceland 17 years ago, something that had seemed very difficult at the time. He acknowledged that whilst every step forward requires significant effort, it's easy to forget the struggles that were once necessary, once the goal is achieved it becomes everyday reality. That's why it's important to keep track of what you've achieved. He emphasised the value of getting to know interesting people through this network.
Tiina Nummi Södergren from Sweden shared that she had been involved since the Nordic youth committee and valued the common learning on international matters and development work. She highlighted how the cooperation committees, gatherings, and assemblies provide opportunities for learning and discussion. She noted that the Nordic countries are often seen as positive examples, though they too face challenges and cutbacks. She found it particularly interesting to follow how different countries approach ratifying the CRPD and how societies and environments change, making the exchange of experiences valuable.
Niklas Mattsson, also from Sweden, echoed these sentiments, noting the good possibilities to exchange information and meet friends from Nordic countries. He emphasised the value of talking in the room about challenges that may be the same but have different solutions across countries, citing Norway's recent decision to adopt CRPD-related legislation as an example of learning from each other.
New Voices, Fresh Perspectives
Several participants were attending their first or early NSK meetings, bringing fresh energy to the longstanding cooperation. Katrin Kvæl from Norway, new to the group, spoke about learning from people who had been involved for a long time, citing the Icelandic general assembly elections as an example. She felt too new to have a proper opinion yet but was clearly absorbing valuable insights.
Göran Sjöstedt, representing the Swedish-speaking community in Finland, said everything was new for him and that he was eager to learn from all countries about how they approach their work. Mikael Granlund, also from the Finnish Swedish-speaking organisation, noted that whilst they are small with seven offices and between 800 and 1,000 members, they want more cooperation with the other Nordic partners.
Practical Solidarity
Terje Andre Olsen from Norway spoke about exchanging ideas and strategies on specific issues like bank terminals without keys and funding difficulties. As chair of a national organisation, he expressed how valuable it is to know friends in the same position across the region.
Sari Kokko from Finland, who had been a member for about three and a half years, mentioned that the NSK language situation had initially been quite difficult, with Swedish being the second official language in Scandinavia, and welcomed the positive change to English. She had learnt many things, particularly about CRPD implementation in Nordic countries, and found that similar problems and attitudes around disability services made discussions highly relevant. She noted that Finland can feel a bit remote, perhaps for historical reasons, making these connections especially important.
International Development Cooperation
Kristin Kjæret from Norway highlighted how many organisations run bilateral programmes in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, with regular meetings on development work proving valuable for building resilience and learning from donors. She mentioned how Norway had benefited from Danish action in Ukraine, which opened pathways for joint work. The sharing of experience around donors and resources helps organisations develop stronger applications.
Diana Stentoft from Denmark reinforced the strong Nordic idea about international development, noting how organisations exchange information on technical matters and securing funding from different sources as government support recedes.
A Global Voice from Small Countries
Diana Stentoft also spoke about what the NSK members value most: the shared value of solidarity and the Nordic idea of helping each other and others elsewhere as much as possible. She emphasised that this spirit remains very much present, and that for them, Nordic collaboration means knowing who to call and creating connections for inspiration from other countries. She found this very comforting when solving specific issues. She also mentioned the joint Nordic conference held every three years, where each country brings up to ten people including members, staff, and youth.
Jesper Bentil Holten, also from Denmark noted that within the NSK, they recognise themselves as small countries in a big world, and that having a shared voice on common global issues through EBU and the World Blind Union matters greatly, given their shared values and history.
Strengthening the European Voice
The morning exchange underscored how Nordic cooperation and EBU membership reinforce each other and extend their solidarity internationally including with the neighbouring Baltic states, Ukraine and southern hemisphere countries.
The session demonstrated how face-to-face encounters create enhanced experiences that strengthen cooperation and support across borders.
For EBU, the session provided valuable insights into one of Europe's most successful regional partnerships and opened pathways for deeper collaboration with Nordic member organisations. As participants expressed throughout the morning, the face-to-face meeting is an enhanced experience that undoubtedly strengthens the cooperation and support networks essential to advancing the rights and inclusion of blind and partially sighted people across Europe and beyond.
Warm thanks to the Norwegian Association of the Blind for their hospitality, and all participants for their enlightening exchange, demonstrating the enduring value of international cooperation and awareness raising in the blindness sector.