Northern Horizons – Defending Sustainable Growth

On 4 December, we kick off the anniversary year celebrating the 50th anniversary of NIB’s founding in Copenhagen in 1975. You can watch the livestream from our stakeholder event Northern Horizons below.

LIVESTREAM STARTING AT 16:00 (EET)

Event information

Date: 4 December

Time: 14:00-18:00 (Danish time)

Location: The Royal Danish Opera House, Copenhagen, and online

On 4 December 1975 in Copenhagen, the Nordic governments signed the agreement to establish the Nordic Investment Bank in Helsinki. In the fifty years since, NIB has supported growth and development in our region by adapting to changing needs, including the Baltic countries as members, and building a foundation for a sustainable and resilient future.

Join us for an engaging afternoon event where fresh insights on the historic founding of NIB meet high-level discussions on balancing security with sustainability in today’s Nordic-Baltic region. The first chapter of the NIB’s history is released for this seminar.

Speakers

Opening words

Anders Adlercreutz

Minister for Nordic Co-operation, Finland

Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers 2025

Panel 1: Founding of NIB

Panel 2: Defending sustainable growth

Lillian Kretz

Master of Ceremony, Moderator

Closing remarks

André Küüsvek

President and CEO, Nordic Investment Bank

Programme

14:45 Programme starts

Opening of the seminar

Host: Journalist Lillian Kretz

Opening words by Minister for Nordic Co-operation

Anders Adlercreutz, Minister for Nordic Co-operation, Finland. Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers 2025.

Panel 1: The founding of NIB

The panel reflects on the decision to establish NIB in 1975, how the Bank has responded to political and economic developments since, and its relevance going forward.

Speakers:

• Byron Rom-Jensen, Author of NIB’s history book, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Oslo

• Henrik Normann, former President and CEO, NIB

• Johanna Lybeck Lilja, State Secretary to Swedish Minister for Finance

• Moderator: Jukka Ahonen, NIB Head of Communications

Panel 2: Defending Sustainable Growth

War in Europe, record Arctic heat waves and the biggest re-armament since the Cold War have pushed the Nordic and Baltic countries into uncharted waters. Can the green transition advance in parallel with increased defence budgets? The panel explores whether defense projects, renewable energy, and subsea cables jointly enhance security, improve productivity and progress toward net-zero.

Speakers:

• Lene Skole, CEO, Lundbeck Foundation

• Steffen Syvertsen, CEO, Å Energi

• Esa Rautalinko, President and CEO, Patria

• Moderator: Lillian Kretz

Closing remarks

André Küüsvek, President and CEO, Nordic Investment Bank

Please note that programme details and speakers are subject to change.

Contact: NIB50@nib.int