Nordic responses to Brexit: Making the best of a difficult situation

Research output: Other contributionNet publication - Internet publicationCommunication

Documents

  • Kristin Haugevik
  • Björn Fägersten
  • Pétur Gunnarsson
  • Juha Jokela
  • Catharina Sørensen
  • Baldur Thorhallsson
  • Wivel, Anders
This policy brief examines how the British decision to withdraw from the EU has influenced the political debates in and foreign policies of the five Nordic states – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. With the exception of Iceland, all these countries had a stated preference for Britain to remain in the EU – not least due to historical ties and the tendency of Britain and the Nordic countries to have similar approaches to European integration. Three general findings can be highlighted: First, Brexit has featured prominently in political debates in all the Nordic countries since the British referendum, and the causes and consequences of the Brexit vote continue to be discussed with vigour. In all the Nordic countries, Brexit has also stirred debates about their current relationships with the EU, prompting EU critics to demand new privileges or opt-outs. Overall, however, the Nordic governments, supported by a stable majority among their populations, have signalled that they wish to preserve their EU membership or current forms of association models, with the access and benefits these provide. Second, for all the Nordic countries, securing good relations with Britain post-Brexit is a key priority, but they have generally indicated that maintaining good relations with the EU must come first. Finally, the Nordic governments are well aware that Brexit could create a vacuum in EU policy-making, perhaps tipping the balance among internal clusters. Britain has been a highly visible member of the ‘Northern’ grouping in the EU, and its absence is likely to be noticed. As the Nordic countries are about to lose what has at times been a powerful ally in EU decision-making, they may have to forge new coalitions to safeguard their interests
Original languageEnglish
Publication date1 Jun 2018
Place of PublicationOslo
PublisherNorwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)
Edition7
Volume2018
Number of pages4
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2018
SeriesNUPI Policy Brief
Number7
Volume2018

Number of downloads are based on statistics from Google Scholar and www.ku.dk


No data available

ID: 197960048