"Norden's Eclipse: The Impact of Europe's Common Foreign and Security Policy on Nordic Cooperation in the United Nations"

Laatikainen, Katie Verlin. (1999) "Norden's Eclipse: The Impact of Europe's Common Foreign and Security Policy on Nordic Cooperation in the United Nations". In European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 1999 (6th), June 2-5, 1999, pages 23.

Abstract

[From the Introduction]. The first section of this paper reviews the tradition of Nordic collaboration in the United Nations. The substance of the Nordic profile is identified and the norms and principles of Nordic collaboration are assessed. The Nordics have created a unique position within the bloc system of politics within the UN, and it is this independent Nordic position in world politics that is threatened by Europeanization. The second part of the paper details the intensifisation of European foreign policy coordination, from the practices of the EPC to the innovations of the Amsterdam Treaty of 1997 which introduced greater flexibility in European foreign policy making. The increased role of a single EU voice in international organisations is presented. In the final section of the paper the impact of intensified European foreign policy coordination on Nordic foreign policy cooperation is assessed. Empirical data demonstrating the dramatic cessation of common Nordic initiatives within the UN is compared to the steady growth of European initiatives. Interviews with Nordic delegates at the United Nations reveal the impact of variant EU memberhip on the traditional practices of Nordic collaboration.