Northern Europe in the EU
The integration of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania into the European Union strengthens the cultural influence and the economic weigth of northern Europe, Mattias Akselsson reports from Sweden

From two millennia of war to a new era of cooperation

Only 25 years ago a simple holiday tour around northern Europe would have been much more complicated than just getting on the plane. When anyone in the United States could move, live and work freely from snowy Washington to sunny Florida, Europe still was a complicated puzzle of dozens of travel visas, stamps, tolls, endless permits and small currencies. The history-rich Baltic capitals were cut-off the rest of the world by courtesy of the Soviet Union and the Nordic countries meant for the average person a remote and isolated territory near the north pole.

It took the Europeans two thousand years and many shameful wars to realize that people do have a better life in peace than in war and that cooperation creates more development than isolation. As the European countries leave aside their historical rivalries and parochial pride, many are now enjoying the benefits of integration and economic cooperation. Like in the US, anyone in the EU can now also move, live and work freely from snowy Finland to sunny Spain: British pensioners can retire in France, Portuguese students can attend Polish universities, Swedish citizens can work in Austria, etc.

Since 1945 there has been not a single war in western Europe. The countries that form the EU have not known such a long period of peace since the Roman empire 2000 years ago. Differences of opinion are now spoken, debated and sorted in the European Parliament instead of on the military field as they were used to. But he European Union is not only a historic opportunity to unite Europe by peaceful and democratic means.

The purpose of the European Union is to be a zone of peace, freedom, stability and prosperity. Peace has been achieved. Free movement of people is now a reality for 450 million Europeans. After the US, the EU is the most prosperous trade area in the world. A large European market is putting the countries of the Union in a better position to take up the challenge of globalization, improving conditions for trade and job creation, celebrating the wealth of different cultures and giving a better quality of life for the European citizens.


A northern European cultural and economic area within the EU

There are several specific cultural and economic areas clearly differenciated within the EU. The first countries joining the European integration project in 1957 were the industrialized continental nations of Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The integration of the UK, Ireland and Denmark in 1973 brought a dynamic Atlantic area into the Union. The joining of Greece, Spain and Portugal in the decade of the 1980's gave much weight to a third new area, the Mediterranean basin. The integration of Sweden, Finland and Austria in 1995 created a fourth new area, the Nordic. Finally, the accession in May 2004 of Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Cyprus is not only creating a fifth new economic and cultural region within the EU, the eastern European, but is also reinforcing the Nordic region with the presence of the Baltic republics.

Although still a modest figure compared with the other EU regions, Nordic and Baltic countries together account a population of over 20 million. Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania form now a integrated area enjoying free circulation of people, ideas and trade, which will strenghen the weigth and influence of northern Europe in the EU. A greater Nordic voice is set to benefit also to Norway and Iceland, which are not members of the European Union, but belong instead to the European Economic Area (EEA). The EEA is an institution designed to allow Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein to benefit of the EU's Single Market (free movement of people, trade and capital). As EEA countries, Norway and Iceland have agreed to adopt legislation similar to that passed in the EU in the areas of Company Law, Social Policy, Consumer Protection and Environment. However, since they are not members of the European Union, they can not vote in the European Parliament on decisions affecting European policies.

The countries in the northern European region have created two cooperation forums for the exchange of ideas and coordination of policies. The Nordic Council is a cooperation forum for the governments of the Nordic countries. The council members are Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Associate members Åland, Faeroe islands and Greenland. The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) is the regional economic, cultural and social cooperation forum which brings together the Nordic and Baltic countries, Poland, Germany and Russia.


Historical overview of Nordic and Baltic relations

Like anywhere else in Europe, the history of the Nordic and Baltic countries has been dominated by the fighting among big empires for territorial gains. In the case of northern Europe, the most powerful players have been the German states, Russia and the Scandinavian countries.

The Germans were the first to bring large-scale war to the Baltic in the 1200s, invading and becoming the ruling class nobility of the region. The Hansa -a medieval northern European trading association- developed rapidly the Baltic area and the almost 700 years of German presence left a strong influence on the culture of the Baltic countries.
The Scandinavians tried to get their share, with Denmark conquering northern Estonia and creating the trade center of Tallinn, and Sweden ruling the territories of Estonia and Latvia. During the centuries of Swedish rule, Estonians and Latvians were allowed to build up their national identity.
The Russian Empire took over after the 18th century and soon started a fierce Russification campaign against the Baltic languages and cultural institutions.

World War 1 led to the collapse of the Russian and the German empires, making it possible for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to declare independence. However, the growing climate of economic and cultural contacts between Scandinavia and the Baltics came to an immediate end with the occupation of the Baltic states by the Soviet Union in 1940.

During World War 2, over 30,000 Baltic war refugees found a new home in Sweden while Baltic ministers in exile held governmental meetings in Norway. The Soviet occupation halted all kind of cooperation in the region, but the presence of Baltic communities in Scandinavia created profound cultural contacts.

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia regained independence with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990 and the Nordic countries have since been acting officially as a bloc in supporting the development of the Baltic states and their application for membership in the European Union. Economic and political exchange between the two northern European areas was strengthen with the Nordic-Baltic Cooperation Agreement of Palanga in 1992, which aims to work together on a wide range of social, economic, political and environmental challenges. The largest area of Nordic-Baltic cooperation is on economic and social development -Nordic countries are the major investors in the Baltic countries- and political -the Nordic and Baltic Prime Ministers meet annually to discuss common and regional issues.

Nordic and Baltic countries do not only share a political and historical ties, but also a common geographical situation in Europe, similar weather, natural environment and economic interests. The Nordic countries have accepted a special responsibility for the Baltic states and together northern Europe will be stronger to face the economic and social challenges of the future world.


The European Union compared to other countries in the world

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