The four Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway, have all held referenda on their relationship to the European Union in the 1990's. These referenda catalysed heated debates: should Finland and Sweden give up neutrality? Should Denmark follow the European Union's move towards higher degrees of integration? And, had there been enough change in Norway to reverse the rejection of European Community membership in 1972?
These key questions about the future of European integration are addressed in this highly topical book by examining the crucial role played by national identity. The authors argue that the discussion of the European Union drew upon ideas of the nation as well as of the state. These ideas have been connected to each other in a particular manner, which comes to structure how a country can imagine Europe and the European Union.