Nordic region-building in a European perspective

Nordic region-building in a European perspective

This book was originally conceived in 1994, when the referenda on membership in the European Union were approaching in three of the Nordic countries, and it was clear that European integration was going to make a lasting impact on both regional governance and Nordic co-operation. In this context, the editors saw the need for a book that would examine cross-border ventures and regional co-operation more closely and make information about them accessible to a wider public.

The book has three main objectives: to understand the dynamics driving transborder region-building; to assess its implications for future overall Nordic co-operation; and to seek to draw some lessons with regard to the debate on the Europe of the Regions. The introduction by the editors looks at patterns of Nordic regional and municipal co-operation, including arrangements with partners beyond the region. They consider characteristics of Nordic co-operation and the reasons for it.

Subsequent chapters are divided into two sections. Section 1 presents an overview of the cross-border ventures in which Nordic regions are involved, and also more detailed accounts of individual regional-building efforts. Examples of the case studies include Danish-Swedish co-operation in the Øresund region; the North Sea Commission, which unites countries bordering the North Sea to discuss common concerns; and an initiative launched by Norway to improve co-operation in the Barents Region, also involving the governments of Russia, Finland and Sweden.

Section 2 focuses on the internationalisation strategies of municipalities, and particularly how they prepared in order to cope with the new regulations that accompanied EU/EEA membership. Two chapters examine the internationalisation of Finnish and Norwegian local government and Sweden's municipal self-government. The final chapter outlines the general features that characterise cross-border region-building in the Nordic area, offering some views on the prospects of Nordic coooperation in an era of growing internationalisation of regions.