Norway to host Joint Expeditionary Force Leaders’ Summit on security
Press release | Date: 06/05/2025 | Office of the Prime Minister
This week, Norway is hosting the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) Leaders’ Summit. The JEF is a security coalition between 10 countries in northern Europe. The heads of state and government of these countries will be meeting in Oslo on 8–9 May.
The members of the JEF coalition are the UK, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway. This week, the countries’ leaders will be convening for the annual Summit, where discussions will focus on the situation in Europe and regional cooperation on security challenges.
Allied neighbours
‘The JEF member nations are our closest allies and neighbours. There is war on our continent and we are facing an extremely serious security policy situation. This makes it more vital than ever to take steps to maintain close cooperation and dialogue in the region,’ said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
The JEF nations are among the largest donors of political, military and civilian support to Ukraine. Further support to Ukraine is one of the main items on the Summit agenda, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be participating digitally in parts of the meeting.
‘The JEF is designed to enhance NATO’s effectiveness in our region. Among other things, the Summit will consider ways the JEF can help to strengthen maritime security in key neighbouring areas. We will also discuss the best means of addressing the wide-ranging and complex threats we are contending with today,’ said Mr Støre.
What is the Joint Expeditionary Force?
The JEF is a framework for practical and flexible cooperation between northern European countries. It is intended to supplement NATO cooperation, strengthen collective security in our region and bolster our joint defence capabilities.
The JEF nations give high priority to promoting a cohesive relationship with NATO, and cooperation in the coalition is intended to support and enhance complementarity with NATO. At the military level, JEF is designed to be an agile defence force that can provide rapid support to countries in a crisis situation.
Editorial message
The accreditation deadline for this event has expired. The press programme and practical information will be sent directly to accredited press by email.
The press contacts for the Prime Minister’s Office are Head of Communications Anne Kristin Hjukse, tel: +47 99 21 46 10, email: ahj@smk.dep.no, and Communications Adviser Martin Lerberg Fossum, tel: +47 46 81 98 12, email: mlf@smk.dep.no.