Abstract
In the public debate preceding the Danish EC-referendum in October 1972 an idea of Denmark as a 'bridge' between the Nordic countries and the EC was brought for ward. This article examines the use and meaning of this idea as perceived by the decision-makers. After the failure in 1970 of the negotiations on a future Nordic Eco nomic Union (NORDEK) and the Danish application for EC-membership, Danish pro-marketeers made the 'bridge'-idea more and more articulate to reassure those who might be worried about future Nordic cooperation. The debate after the Danish referendum reveals that the idea of Denmark as a bridge was useful as an argument in domestic politics preceding the referendum, but has had little utility as a foreign policy doctrine. What is left of the 'bridge'-idea when prospects for Denmark as a member of both the Nordic system and the EC-system are analyzed, is a Danish desire to promote integration between the two systems or at least to minimize the distance as much as possible.
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