Interest and Identity

Abstract

How did Finland and Norway balance economic imperatives and the political opening provided by the end of bipolarity with the traditional desire to protect distinct national identities from the European Union? This article examines the interaction of interest and identity that led the Norwegian government to withdraw its application for European Union (EU) membership, and led the Finns to join the EU. The literature on Nordic patterns of accession to the EU often refers either to the importance of national identity or to interest-based accounts of who wins and who loses within each state. In this article, we analyze both dimensions of accession in the two Nordic states. To convince members of Finnish and Norwegian society to join the EU required political leaders to confront well-organized interest groups, with strong preferences for and against membership. However, it also involved a political process of introducing new ideas into the domestic discourse, and a redefinition of national identity. Finns were more willing to view EU membership as a way of protecting national identity, whereas Norwegians stubbornly held on to the idea of separateness from the community of European states, and were more likely to view the European Union as a threat to national identity.