The North Group is formed by 12 countries of North Europe, members of NATO or the EU: the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. The first gathering was held in 2010 at the initiative of the UK. It is not only a forum for safety consultations, but besides a coordination of military initiatives. These meetings took on much greater importance in the era of war in Ukraine and the aggressive policy of the Russian Federation.