The Northern Group is a UK-led format established in 2012. It involves 12 countries – 3 Baltic countries, 5 Nordic countries, Poland, the Netherlands and Germany. The group acts as a consultative forum on European security issues, NATO-EU relations, and other topics relevant to the region, such as military mobility, the development of transformation technologies and climate change. Meetings are held in the formats of the Ministers of Defence and the Directors of Defence Policy twice a year.