"For the Nordic countries to move towards a federation, all five of them would need to be members of NATO, the European Union and the Eurozone," said Halldór Asgrímsson, the secretary-general of the Nordic Council of Ministers, in response to Swedish social science specialist Gunnar Wettenberg – whose proposal that the Nordic region should consider forming one federal state was met with a wave of opinions from the five countries involved.|
Wettenberg feels that the partnership between the Nordic countries could be even closer. He says that a federation would reinforce the region's position in the international arena, since it would elevate its economy to the 10th biggest in the world – ahead of such countries as Canada and Spain and only slightly behind Brazil and Russia. "A seat at the G20 would give the Nordic region a lot more influence than the five countries individually have today," Wettenberg said whilst debating the issue with Asgrímsson in January. Their meeting took place as part of an event organised by the Norden Association. According to Wettenberg, were the Nordic countries to unite it would not only boost their economic influence but also their weight within the EU, enabling them, for example, to more easily vie for key positions within the European Commission. Wettenberg added that his utopian vision was nevertheless realistic, highlighting the case of Switzerland, in a federal state similar to which it would be simpler to coordinate foreign, defence, security, research and labour market policy and legislation. Asgrímsson remarked that he is very open to closer cooperation between the Nordic countries, such as on issues of intellectual ownership and taxation policy. |
United Nordic region would require NATO, EU and Eurozone membership
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At the same time, representatives and ministers from the group of five – Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Iceland – already work very closely together, as part of the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers respectively. The majority of ministers from the region meet around four times a year. The prime ministers of those countries which are Member States of the European Union also meet unofficially prior to EU summits and keep non-members Norway and Iceland up to speed on developments. Ahead of summits the prime ministers furthermore discuss key issues with their colleagues from the Baltic States. |