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Nordic Organisational Meeting

NORDISKT ORDFÖRANDE MØTE (joined by LSS in 2006)

Nordic Orgnisational Meeting (NOM) is a cooperating network consisting of the Nordic and Baltic national umbrella-organisations for students in higher education. NOM first convened in Aarhus, Denmark in 1946 and meets twice a year to discuss and work on common challenges students face. Cooperation between National Unions of Students is regulated through Regulations, whereas the chairing Troika of NOM is decided upon rotation.

Early history

In 1946 a Nordic Student Meeting was held in Aarhus, Denmark, which was a very significant event when it comes to the development of Nordic co-operation. From this meeting emerged the later NOM.

Later on in the 1950s issues discussed at the NOMs were e.g. bookstores, increasing the students’ influence at the universities, issues connected with the International Union of Students (IUS) and International Student Conference (ISC), and the international relief activities. The Nordic NUSes also cooperated within the Scandinavian Student Travel Service (SSTS). At that time they also had a jointly financed Secretariat the task of which was to organize various meetings.

The sixth Nordic NUS, MFS of the Faroe Islands, was established in 1967. By that time the NOM had become a biannual event, discussing and reporting about current issues. Joint activities were restricted to various studies. There were also some attempts to create joint policies prior to international meetings and seminars.

The student movement becomes more active

In the 1970s the NOM discussions were centered on four areas: organizational, international, socio-political and educational issues. These categories had been written in the NOM rules and regulations accepted in 1974. ALso the question of having a Nordic secretariat came up very strongly. At that time it was also agreed that hosting the NOM would rotate between the participating NUSes, with the exception of MFS, the hosting organization also chairing the meeting.

In the beginning of the 1980s each NOM concentrated on one or two issues agreed upon in advance while the NOM was more or less like a seminar. The themes as such did not change very much, but women’s issues were introduced as a new topic.

The themes of the late 1980s and early 1990s

NOM had concentrated its attention almost entirely to socio-economic and educational questions. The position of foreign students in the Nordic countries involves both of the above issues. The NOM unions applied for finances in order to be able to employ a Nordplus projects secretary and to have more meetings during the first Nordplus year.

The Baltic National Unions of Students had attended the NOM in the Faroe Islands already in 1992 but not since then. It was agreed in 1995 to invite Baltics to NOM seminars from now on.

All in all only during NOM meeting in Copenhagen in October 2006 three Baltic National Unions of Students applied for the membership of NOM and were accepted as full members: EÜL, LSA and LSS. This historical event extended the cooperation to more natural regional boundaries and welcomed new ideas and thoughts to NOM cooperation.

At the moment following organisations are full members of NOM:

  • Danske Studerendes Faellesråd (National Union of Students in Denmark – DSF)
  • Eesti Üliõpilaskondade Liit (Federation of Estonian Student Unions – EÜL)
  • Latvijas Studentu apvienība (Student Union of Latvia – LSA)
  • Lietuvos studentų sąjunga (Lithuanian National Union of Students – LSS)
  • Norsk Studentorganisasjon (National Union of Students in Norway – NSO)
  • Suomen ammattikorkeakouluopiskelijakuntien liitto (Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences – SAMOK)     
  • Sveriges Förenade Studentkårer (Swedish National Union of Students – SFS)
  • Stúdentráð Háskóla Íslands (University of Iceland Students’ Union – SHÍ)
  • Suomen ylioppilaskuntien liitto (National Union of University Students in Finland – SYL)

As for the second half of 2013 NOM Troika consists of:

  • SHÍ (Iceland)
  • LSS (Lithuania)
  • SFS (Sweden)