The European Union has been greatly concerned in recent years with its Eastern and Southern peripheries, given the instability there has been in these regions (former Soviet republics, Balkans, Arab countries etc.). This does not mean, however that the Nordic countries —whether members of the Union (like Denmark, Sweden or Finland) or not (Iceland and Norway)— do not deserve our undivided attention, particularly in the current context of global warming.
As Jean-François Drevet reminds us here, the EU has officially written the “Nordic dimension” into its proceedings and devotes a specific policy to it, but the particular positioning of the Nordic countries toward the EU —characterized largely by Euroscepticism— must also be stressed. Moreover, these countries have established specific forms of cooperation (inter alia, the Nordic Council and Baltic co-operation) in the field of the free circulation of persons, environmental protection etc., and the exemplary nature of these should be highlighted. Lastly, in view of global warming, the Arctic space is now of heightened interest (new navigable routes, potentially available new resources etc.) and the EU cannot remain indifferent to it.
