Soft Competition: F inland, S weden and the Northern Dimension of the E uropean U nion
Year: 2013
Type: article
Abstract: In the context ofEuropean integration,Sweden andFinland are frequently seen as natural allies. Based on a number of perceived similarities, their shared Nordic heritage, established historical ties and their concurrent accession to theEuropeanUnion (EU), they are rarely seen as competitors or proponents of diverging points of view. Their alignment within theEU, over sub‐regional issues surrounding NorthernEurope in particular, is often rather taken as a given. By focusing on the specific conduct ofSweden andFinland as regional stakeholders in theBalticSeaRegion (BSR) and the way they have played this role within theEU, this article seeks to challenge these common assumptions. It shows thatSweden andFinland do not converge in their positions, also in matters concerning theEU's Northern Dimension – that is, a policy that distinctly furthers regional core issues whose promotion within theEUcould be in both states' interest. Instead of pooling forces to attain greater leverage within theEU,Sweden andFinland rather compete with each other in this regard. Using the example of the Finnish Northern Dimension initiative, this article shows howSweden andFinland have promoted sub‐regional matters through different political and organizational channels, keeping bilateral cooperation to a minimum and leaving potential avenues of pooled action at theEUlevel aside. The article thus concludes that the concept of aSwedish‐Finnish tandem within theEUneeds to be looked at more critically when it comes to explaining or predicting their conduct as Member States.
Source: Scandinavian Political Studies
Author: Carmen Gebhard
Institution: University of Edinburgh
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: European Commission
OpenAlex ID: W1931086507